Nestled inside T&T in Richmond, BC, you’ll find plants and unique bouquets at Aromatears. The store, which got its start as a local neighbourhood flower shop has certainly come a long way. The store might be known for selling plants and creative bouquets for every occasion but it’s also known for its classes where people can learn to design their own bouquets, create candles, andmake their own custom scents.
Business is certainly blooming for owner Misun Jang-Oh.
“I was born in Korea and grew up in the countryside as a farmer’s daughter,” said Misun, who said that she loved creating. “I was an aromatherapy course instructor in Korea.” And it’s that love for creating that led Minsun to open a space for like-minded people, eventually growing a community of regular clients. “I have been Vancouver for 15 years,” she said. “I loved Vancouver’s nature so much, I quickly fell in love and decided to live here.” So in 2018, Minsun turned her experience and passion into a business, opening the first Aromatears location in Burnaby where she worked as a one-woman team. Pursuing her vision, Minsun started by selling flowers and creating aromatherapy products for her clients but, eventually, another opportunity presented itself.
Planting the seed
As she sold scented products and flowers, Minsun decided to teach her clients. “As time flew, I realized people also want to create their own so I wanted introduce a lot of fun things where clients can create perfumes, candles, and flowers,” she said. “Having classes in public in our first location in Burnaby brought a lot of attention to our company products and gave great feedback.”
Three years ago, another opportunity presented itself. T&T, the Loblaws-owned Canadian supermarket that sells Asian food, approached Minsun and asked if she’d be interested in opening a store at one of their locations. Despite the opportunity, Minsun had some concerns.
“At the time, I was the owner, worker, cashier and the only one making everything,” she said laughing. “I was afraid, I didn’t want to give up my first location where I had built client loyalty. And I didn’t really want to leave. I rejected the offer.” But the company contacted her again in 2022 and asked her if she’d be interested in opening her store at their Richmond location. And, this time, Minsun accepted. “Now, we have our first store at T&T supermarket,” she shared. “It’s a great feeling that they found us and that they want us to be a part of their team. So when they said they wanted us it was more like a trust that we can make the customer happy.”
Nurturing the business
Like many business owners, Minsun found herself in unfamiliar territory when the pandemic hit and she was forced to pivot. Knowing that she had to adapt, she focused her energy towards creating and growing their online store. She was relieved when they were finally able to open their doors to clients. By this time as well, Minsun had a trusted team around her. “Basically, we spend a lot of time on training of our employees,” she said. And the company has only continued to grow since then. “We opened a second location in Vancouver in 2022,” she said. “In 2023, we opened a third flower shop in the Richmond T&T store. And we are so proud of working with a successful company and grow our passion with their clients
An Aromatears experience
They might be a flower shop but they offer more than just blooms. “Our bestselling product is the soap flower and preserved flowers — they really last longer and they’re made with new technology that people haven’t experienced before,” said Minsun.
“We sell Korean-style arrangements and when you give that gift to someone, they remember their special day with this long-lasting gift.” And that’s exactly what the company sells: in addition to the plants from local farms, scented candles, and perfumes, Aromatears is also about creating memories to cherish for a long time. “A lot of Vancouverites really love planting at home or taking care of their own kind of nature,” said Minsun. “We found a lot of farmers and they’re farm direct growers. We offer a good price and people really enjoy collecting flowers and plants.”
They also create designs for special occasions like weddings, graduations, proposals, bachelorette parties, proms, and more. And Aromatears also has a way of bringing people closer together by helping them create memories at their store. From Thursday to Sunday, people can sign up online for a variety of classes. At Aromatears, you can create and preserve prom corsages or boutonnières or create the perfect arrangement with fresh flowers. Looking for something different? They also offer kokedama class, an ancient Japanese art where you can create unique pieces of living art with just soil and moss.
Those who love scents can try their hand at making gel candles or their very own diffuser scents or perfumes. Each class can accommodate six people and their private classes have been a hit, making for unique birthday and bachelorette parties. Minsun said that it’s rewarding to see clients happy and to make them smile. “They say, ‘Oh my god, you guys are great, we’re so happy to have found you, thank you for all the memories we can create,’” she said. As a result, Minsun strives to work harder and offer more unique products.
“We keep continuing to find ways for clients to enjoy themselves each time they visit our store and to learn something new where they can have good memories with family and friends,” she said. “We want to introduce more fun things for the clients.” She added that their clientele represents the diversity of Vancouver itself, adding that people who come to their store are from “totally different cultures and from different countries.” When asked about the future of her business, Minsun has her eye on future expansion plans.
“We started to make clients happy in Vancouver and we can cover more cities in Vancouver even Abbotsford through our delivery system,” she said. “We will also find an opportunity to send our unique gifts to Toronto or other cities.”She paused.
“And why not worldwide?”