The History of The Flower Cottage
The Flower Cottage has one of those stories that feels a little bit meant-to-be. It sits tucked quietly behind Ziebart and the Leon’s plaza, right off busy Perry Highway in Wexford…but unless you know exactly where to look, you’d never notice it! Honestly, even though Bethany and Julie both grew up in the area, drove these roads daily, and still live nearby, they had no idea this little house existed! It’s right down the street from their high school, yet the cottage stayed hidden all those years like a sweet little secret waiting for the right moment.
The cottage itself dates back to the 1950s, when it was built for our landlord Barry’s grandparents. Barry grew up on this land, and over the years he’s watched the property around the cottage change and evolve. After he married his wife, they lived in the cottage for a time before eventually relocating to another part of his property, where they still reside today. The cottage has always been a meaningful piece of his family’s story.
Before we ever imagined it as Sapphire & Lace’s home, the cottage lived many lives. It was once the Clay Cottage, a ceramics studio run by Barry’s daughter. Families filled the space creating clay projects, and what used to be the canning room turned into the kiln room. Down the road, it became a princess-themed birthday party venue, a photography studio, and eventually the vintage rental shop called Vintage Alley Rentals.
And that’s when we stumbled upon it! We hosted one our first floral design workshops there among Vintage Alley’s beautiful collection of curated vintage pieces, and the cottage instantly grabbed our hearts. Shortly after, Vintage Alley was moving into a bigger warehouse space at the exact time we were looking to move out of our mom’s basement and into a more professional floral studio. It felt like the universe nudged us right through the front door.
When we moved in back in 2017, the cottage definitely showed signs of all the lives it had lived. Mismatched shelves, various lighting fixtures, layers of different paint colors… each one a little breadcrumb from a past businesses. We loved the charm, but it needed to become “us.” When clients walked through the door, we wanted them to instantly understand our depth of design skills, but also feel like they were stepping into a cozy, welcoming space. The kind of place where you can take a deep breath, settle in, and feel taken care of. So we painted everything from floor to ceiling, added wood shiplap to warm up the walls, framed out the windows for character, swapped in new lighting fixtures, and sourced furniture to elevate the cozy, cottage vibe. Downstairs, we transformed the old kiln room into the perfect walk-in cooler and turned the rest of the basement into our dream floral studio.
Soon after settling in, something funny started happening. People would look around during consultations and say, “I wish I could have a party here.” And honestly? We felt the same!! The cottage had this natural warmth that made people want to gather. So in 2020 (with a little extra time on our hands) we decided to make a few changes to the upstairs to accommodate intimate events. We took down a wall, opened everything up, and created a large, inviting room, perfect for hosting small celebrations up to thirty guests.
Today, The Flower Cottage serves a beautiful dual purpose. Downstairs, it’s still our working floral design studio where we create wedding florals year-round. Upstairs, it’s a cozy, charming event space for bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays, workshops, and gatherings!
Being part of its story feels like a gift, and we couldn’t be more grateful to call it home!