Foxgloves Flowers

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The Faces of Foxgloves Colleen Pippen

Colleen O'Farrell In January 2000, with a fine arts degree from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, several years of experience working for other florists, some business courses under her belt, and a solid personal support network, Colleen O'Farrell was ready to start her own floral business. She found a flower shop that was for sale in downtown Victoria, and approached her credit union for help.  As a young person with few financial assets, Colleen didn't qualify for conventional financing.  A Rising Tide loan, designed to support small business ventures, quickly got her under way.  "It was an incredibly easy process," she says, "not at all intimidating." Colleen hasn't looked back.  She renamed the shop Foxgloves Flowers (from Foxgloves Florist) to shift the focus from the person to the flowers themselves, and moved the shop to a better location.  She now has a talented design team helping her out, won the commercial floral design competition at the Victoria Flower and Garden Show, has been featured in numerous magazines and television spots.  "I love what I do," Colleen says, "and I feel really lucky to have found my passion."