Meet Jason N.
Floral artist with heart
“I have mothers, grandmothers and siblings here.”
From the moment he arrives at the Thrifty Foods Colwood location each morning, floral designed Jason Northwood us on the move. Fresh flowers, indoor plants, annuals, perennials and vegetable starts await his tender care.
First, he reviews his inventory, closely inspecting the health of flowers displayed at the fills and Flower Department counters. Then he heads to the cold room and one of his favourite places, the design table. Flowers supply both canvas and palette, as he deftly begins creating colourful arrangements. Spring is here, so tulips and irises are in abundance today. Sharing his time between design and customer service, Jason whisks between the cold room and the Front End counter where customers await. Some bring swatches of fabric, hoping for personal assistance with floral arangements for their tables. They know he’ll apply his artist’s eye and happily oblige with a stunning, unique design.
Outdoors, trucks arrive with plant stock. Before it’s unloaded, “I have to touch and feel the plants,” Jason says of his careful inspection. His passion for gardening ensures excellent plant quality for customers. Most stock comes from island growers: all of the vegetable starts and six-pack annuals are Victoria grown, and 90 percent of the overall garden centre’s stock originates on the island.
Now eight years with Thrifty Foods, Jason regards the company as family, and the store as a second home. “I have mothers, grandmothers and siblings here,” he chuckles. A caring, nurturing soul, Jason is cheery company for customers and stuff alike. Wherever he goes, he brings a smile to everyone’s face.
At the end of each day, Jason leaves floral design for garden design at his Metchosin home. There, Jason and his partner cultivate desert cactus, west-coast natives, alpine species and heritage vegetables. Even when he’s outside relaxing, though, his mind wanders to the store. “I love my job so much…I love it so much that I think about the Flower Department and my customers even when I’m not at work.”