Props Floral Design's next generation

The new year has brought new growth to veteran florist Props Floral Design (5533 Young Street). After 20-plus years at the helm, owner Susan MacIntosh has sold the Hydrostone business to her niece and longtime employee Ashley MacNeill and the Halifax’s garden doula herself, Jayme Melrose. Recently returning from maternity leave, MacNeill—who at just 35 has worked at the shop for half her life—says she’s excited to maintain Props’ reputation for quality while simultaneously building on it.

“I think we have a really complementary skill set,” says Melrose of the blooming partnership. “She’s a florist who can do literally anything and knows what the shop needs to run, and I have the accounting background from Common Roots.” Melrose’s work with Halifax’s urban farm is what helped her build a relationship with the florist in the first place. “I started selling flowers to the shop from Common Roots four years ago—I sold a lot of flowers to the shop and got to know the folks here,” she says. “I was wanting to grow more flowers so I was spending more time at the shop when I learned the owner was looking to sell.”

Melrose, who still pitches in with the urban farm on a part-time basis and teaches Halifax’s Bloom Institute for Herbal Studies, hopes to help Props expand its selection to include more herbs, edibles and local plants. She also hopes to nurture relationships with as many social enterprises as possible.