Flowers has opened for business in Sydney’s cultural hub of Redfern where bespoke and custom floral arrangements are carefully crafted by employees who are currently experiencing homelessness.
Opening its’ doors in time for Valentine’s Day, SLAK Flowers is a social enterprise founded by film producer and travel industry entrepreneur Simla Sooboodoo who made the difficult decision to pause operations of Hands on Journeys because of the inability to operate tours given the impact Covid19 has had on the global travel and tourism industry.
Central to the philosophy of Hand on Journeys experiences was the ability for tour participants to give back and help those people and communities across the globe that are less fortunate, and this belief has carried through to Sooboodoo’s SLAK Flowers, a social enterprise based in Redfern.
“We believe social entrepreneurship and social enterprises are in a privileged position to truly tackle some of our greatest injustices head on one day, one person, one story at a time,” said Sooboodoo.
“While the creation of stable employment and income, training and development is a key part of this story, establishing safe spaces, community, and a commitment to invest and develop are equally important.”
Under the watchful eye of Salvation Army caseworkers and a professional Head Florist, SLAK Flowers employs staff who are experiencing homelessness and provides training and skills development in floristry resulting in tastefully designed and crafted floral arrangements in addition to creating a deeper sense of purpose, self-respect, and self-confidence for the workers.
SLAK Flowers will initially provide floral arrangements themed around key cultural events including Valentine’s Day, International Women’s Day, Mother’s Day and the Spring Carnival Horse Racing calendar.
Special custom designed arrangements made to order are also welcomed from travel and tourism businesses that have particular brand or event based floral needs.
“By buying from SLAK Flowers, you are also making a difference directly benefiting our local communities. Proudly support a florist with a difference, a social enterprise which creates more prosperous futures through employment, and skills development for people who are experiencing homelessness,” Sooboodoo added.
SLAK Flowers can be found at 5 Hudson Street, Redfern where an assortment of crafted floral arrangements themed for Valentine’s Day are available.
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