Journey From Shopfront to Home Studio A Playbook for Florists

Making the Jump from Shopfront to Home Studio in Townsville

Hi, my name is Siobhan and I am a co-founder and director of Lily's Florist Australia.

When we first bought our florist shop on Marine Parade in Kingscliff back in 2006, the thought of running a flower business from home seemed impossible, in fact our initial goal was to scale back flowers a little and focus more on gifts. Fast forward 17 years, and we've watched a number of florists make this exact transition successfully. In fact, after selling our physical shop in 2009 and moving fully online, we converted our double garage in Pottsville into a proper workspace that served us brilliantly for years.

The decision to close a retail shop and work from home isn't just about saving on rent. It's a complete reimagining of how you run your business. We learned this firsthand when we realised those 40+ daily phone calls for flowers weren't going away just because we'd sold our shopfront.

A little footnote. I chose Townsville as the example as, not only was it one of our first delivery areas outside Kingscliff so it's incredibly meaningful to us, but I think it makes this post more relatable, rather than doing a general Australia wide transition story. It's almost certain that you will not be in Townsville if you are considering a transition to a home flower studio, so in that case all the same ideas, rules, and advice from my opinion, still applies.

You can read more about our foundation story here.

The Financial Reality Check

The numbers tell a compelling story. Commercial rent in Townsville for a decent retail space will set you back thousands each month. Add in the cost of keeping the lights on for those 9 to 5 hours, paying staff to cover when you're designing for a wedding, and maintaining that constant inventory of fresh stock for walk-ins who might never show up. We spent countless winter afternoons in our Kingscliff shop watching tumbleweeds roll down Marine Parade, counting the $25 we'd made for the entire day. That's $25 gross, so in reality, we probably lost well over $400 factoring in rent, electricity, and all out other daily costs.

A home studio flips this equation on its head. Yes, you'll need to invest in proper equipment, although some you will be able to roll over. A commercial floral fridge alone, assuming you don't own the one in your shop, will cost you between $3,700 and $4,300 for a decent two-door unit. But that's a one-time expense, not a monthly drain on your bank account. Converting a garage into a functional studio might run you anywhere from $6,000 to $12,000 for a basic setup, more if you need plumbing for that essential deep sink.

The real game changer is your overhead rate. In our shop days, overheads ate up a frightening percentage of every dollar. Now, if your annual overheads from home are $15,000 and you're bringing in $150,000 in sales, that's just 10% going to overheads. When you quote a $4,000 wedding, you know exactly where that $400 is going.

Navigating Townsville Council Requirements

Here's where things get specific to Townsville. Townsville council has clear rules about running a home business, and trust me, you want to stay on the right side of them. The magic phrase you need to know is "Accepted development subject to requirements." If you tick all the boxes, you won't need to lodge a Development Application at all.

The key requirements are straightforward but strict. Your studio space can't exceed 60 square metres, which is actually plenty. A standard double garage is about 36 square metres, perfect for a flower studio. You can only have one employee who doesn't live with you. Operating hours are limited to 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 2pm Saturday. No Sunday trading from home.

The big one that catches people out is parking. Every client who visits, every courier who picks up, they all need to park on your property, not on the street. We learned this the hard way when we had our home office. Those Valentine's Day weeks when we had friends helping out, cars everywhere, the neighbours weren't thrilled let me tell you.

Setting Up Your Workspace

Converting a garage was one of the best decisions we made. You need distinct zones for different tasks. The processing area where you strip leaves and prep flowers gets messy. Trust me, after years of doing this in cramped quarters, having a dedicated spot for the dirty work makes all the difference.

Your design bench needs to be at the right height. Nothing ruins your back faster than hunching over a too-low table making wedding arrangements. I advise installing proper sealed concrete flooring in your garage studio. Why? Easy to clean, waterproof, and it handles those inevitable spills without drama.

That commercial flower fridge isn't negotiable. We tried using a regular fridge when we first started. Disaster. Flowers need high humidity and gentle airflow, the exact opposite of what a food fridge provides. Your roses will thank you for spending the money on proper refrigeration.

Building Your Supply Chain from Townsville

Being in North Queensland presents unique challenges. You can't just pop down to the Sydney Flower Market. We faced similar issues in Northern NSW, getting calls for flowers to everywhere from Murwillumbah to Port Macquarie.

Start with Townsville Flower Market for your immediate needs. They're your safety net for last-minute orders. But you'll need to cast your net wider. Flower Central in Cairns flies in stock from southern farms. They were a game-changer for accessing traditional varieties you can't get locally. For something different, Speewah Gardens specialises in tropical flowers that actually suit our climate.

Don't forget the big players in South East Queensland. Winterglads and Floranda Flowers both ship statewide. Yes, freight costs add up, but having multiple suppliers means you're never stuck when one has delays. We learned to spread our orders across several wholesalers. When floods hit one area or flights get cancelled, you've got backup options.

The Delivery Dilemma

This is where Townsville's heat becomes your enemy. We've seen gorgeous arrangements wilt in the time it takes to drive from one suburb to another. You've got three real options.

Companies like PACK & SEND Townsville specialise in fragile goods. They know how to handle flowers properly. For high-end wedding work, On time Delivery Solutions runs actual chiller vans. Yes, it costs more, but explaining to a bride why her $2,000 arrangement arrived looking tired isn't a conversation you want to have.

The Uber option seems tempting. Quick, trackable, relatively cheap (at least it used to be). But here's what most florists don't know, Uber's terms actually prohibit fragile items. If that bouquet gets damaged, you're on your own with no recourse. We've hear about florists learn this expensive lesson.

Going Digital Without a Shopfront

When we closed our Kingscliff shop, we thought the hard part was over. Wrong. Without that physical presence, your website becomes everything. Every suburb in Townsville needs its own landing page. "Wedding Florist in Belgian Gardens" might seem specific, but that's exactly what locals are searching for. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of expanding your reach once out of the shop, think of our website as the doorway, you know need to build the house, it's rooms, kitchen, well and everything else. So I urge you to read my detailed article on how to build an florist landing page. In that post I go into painful detail on how to build landing pages for your website, like step by step, so it's definitely worth spending some time on.

Your Google Business Profile becomes your new shopfront. You should spend plenty of time on it to get it right, adding every delivery suburb, uploading fresh photos weekly, responding to every review. Those reviews matter more than you think. After joining Feefo for independent reviews, we got over 3,100 in one year. Not all five stars, but real feedback from real customers.

Social media isn't optional anymore. But you don't need to be everywhere. Pick Instagram and Facebook, post photos of your flowers consistently, show your actual work. Those behind-the-scenes shots of you prepping for a big wedding? Gold. People want to see the person behind the business, especially when you're working from home.

The Insurance and Tax Reality

Your home insurance won't cover your business. Full stop. We found this out when we started asking detailed questions, but luckily for us we did not have customers come to the home studio/office. You need proper public liability insurance for when clients visit your home studio. Product liability too, in case someone's cat eats a toxic flower from your arrangement.

Finding the right provider can be a challenge. To help you get started, here is a comparison of some popular options for Australian home-based businesses that cater to client visits.

The tax situation actually works in your favour if you're smart about it. For the 2024-25 year, you can claim 70 cents for every hour you work from home. Keep a diary, track those hours. But here's the trap: if you claim occupancy expenses like mortgage interest, you might lose your capital gains tax exemption when you sell your house. We got proper accounting advice on this. Worth every cent.

Building Your Support Network

Working from home can get lonely. After the buzz of a retail shop with customers dropping in, staff to chat with, sales reps visiting, your garage or studio can feel isolated. We felt this acutely after moving from the shop to our home office, especially being in the garage as there was very little natural light and, as there what seemed like a billion mozzies outside, we rare opened the garage door.

Join everything you possibly can. Townsville Chamber of Commerce runs a Start Right Business Course that's actually useful. Flower Industry Australia costs about $110 a year for basic membership. Worth it for the connections alone. The Flower Association of Queensland connects you with other florists facing the same challenges.

Making the Transition

If you're sitting in your Townsville shop right now, looking at next month's rent invoice, wondering if there's a better way, there is. But it's not easier, just different. You're trading one set of challenges for another.

Start planning months before you close the shop. We gave ourselves six months and barely made it. Tell your wedding clients first, personally. Update your ABN, get your new insurance sorted, set up those wholesale accounts. Build your website before you need it.

The freedom is real though. No more racing to open at 9am sharp. No more staying late because someone might walk in. You choose your clients, your projects, your hours. After 17 years in this industry, starting from that little shop in Kingscliff, we can tell you that the home studio model works. But only if you approach it professionally, follow the rules, and invest in doing it properly.

That garage or spare room isn't just a workspace. It's your new business headquarters. Treat it that way, and you'll wonder why you didn't make the switch sooner.

Sources

• Townsville City Council Planning Guidelines for Home-Based Businesses
• Australian Taxation Office Home-Based Business Expenses Guide
• Flower Industry Australia Membership Information
• Australian Business Licence and Information Service (ABLIS)
• Townsville Chamber of Commerce Start Right Business Course
• OZCoolers Commercial Flower Display Fridges
• PACK & SEND Townsville Courier Services
• Ontime Delivery Solutions Townsville