Meet Kanako of Queensberry Flower Company!

Kanako Heinrichs is making it easier for urban Vancouverites to bring a little natural beauty to their home or office.

The enthusiastic young entrepreneur took inspiration from her native Tokyo in the creation of her business, Queensberry Flower Company. With space at a premium in the Japanese capital, size matters, in everything from furniture to floral design. Kanako’s “urban flower kiosk” specializes in smaller flower bouquets and arrangements, the perfect size and style for city dwellers looking for some flower power.

Kanako Heinrichs of Queensberry Flower Company

Kanako started Queensberry Flower Company as a way to combine her creative skills with a viable business. A newcomer to Canada with dreams of becoming a professional artist, Kanako felt she wasn’t living up to her potential after being laid off twice in one year during the economic crisis.

“I realized that something had to change drastically in my life,” says Kanako. “I had to take control and not let my previous jobs, or the fact that I was an immigrant, dictate who I was.”

After meeting author Michael Gerber and reading his book “The E-Myth”, Kanako took to heart Gerber’s message to “actively make your life into the life you wish it to be.” She decided to build her business into “something extrodinary,” exploiting her artistic ability to develop a cutting edge approach to floral design. Even the kiosk itself, found in Vancouver’s Granville SkyTrain station, reflects Kanako’s eye for detail.

“My shop is this bright and cheerful spot inside what used to be a dark and gloomy place.  The station smells nice now, and I constantly hear commuters saying how nice it is to see flowers everyday. I can’t help but hope that my shop is making someone’s life brighter and happier.  That’s the kind of business I wanted, and the kind of business that I built.”