This time we would like to introduce the flower shop "ATELIER MOKARA" in Kanayama Higashibetsuin.

Opened in 2012, nine years after its opening in Kanayama, the shop reopened in February 2021 after two relocations. The bouquets and arrangements are well received, and the number of fans continues to grow. We interviewed the owner, Ms. Kaori Yagi, to learn more about her specialties.

The store is located in a quiet place, a 2-minute walk from Nagoya Municipal Subway Higashibetsuin station and 8 minutes from Kanayama station going north on Otsu Dori.

There is no outside signboard, and the appearance is so simple that it does not look like a flower shop from the outside.

Upon entering the sthop, one is struck by the beautifully colored flowers in a clear, black-based space. Colorful flowers such as tulips, ranunculus, and sweet peas remind us of the coming of spring.

When we visited in early February, it was still cold, but the shop was decorated with spring flowers, which made us feel cheerful just by looking at them.

If you look closely, you can see flowers with unusual shapes and exquisite colors. There were many unique plants selected by Ms. Yagi, such as dynamic branches and greenery.

The shop's sense of style can also be seen in the vases used to arrange the flowers.

The large stainless steel counter is a special feature of the renovated shop. Underneath the stainless steel counter is a wooden counter that was used at the previous location and was custom-made to fit perfectly.

To fulfill a childhood dream.

Ms. Yagi says she has loved flowers since she was a child. She started working with flowers when she was a vocational school student working part-time. After working at various flower shops and bridal stores, she opened "Atelier Mokara" in 2012 at the age of 24.

– When did you become interested in flowers?

Yagi: ``When I was little, my dream was to be a florist. When I was in elementary school, my mother went to a flower arrangement class and I started learning with her, and that's when I became interested in making flower arrangements. ”

– That's why you went to a flower vocational school.

Yagi: "I have been learning flower arrangement since I was in elementary school, so to be honest, my studies at a vocational school were not enough for me. My experience working part-time at a flower shop was a good learning experience. I learned general practical work such as preservation and production, but basically I was allowed to do it freely. I also got to experience different jobs in flower shops for different genres and bridals."

– When did you start thinking about owning a shop?

Yagi: "I had been thinking about opening my own store since I was in vocational school. In order to save enough money to open my own shop, I worked part-time at a restaurant from 8:00 p.m. after my work at the florist ended at 7:00 p.m. In those days, I worked from morning till late at night without a break. I also studied for an online store, although I was not very good with computers."

Gradually gained fans by opening events and spreading word of mouth

Ms. Yagi realized her dream with her straightforward thoughts and actions. Thus, in 2011, at the age of 23, she opened her own freelance florist, Atelier Mokara. She started with an online store and order production, and then opened an actual shop the following year in 2012. However, she looks back on those early days as a difficult time.

Yagi: "I started from scratch in Kanayama, which was not well-known, so it was difficult at first to get customers."

– How did you survive?

Yagi: "I distributed flyers in front of train stations and did midnight postings. I also opened a stall at an event to sell dried flower arrangements, which gradually spread by word of mouth and led me to where I am today."

State at the time of event opening

– Please tell us about the origin of the shop name.

Yagi: "I named it after the name of a flower called Mokara, but there is no particular meaning. I liked the three-letter name (laughs)."

Even without a prominent signboard, Yagi's stylish world view attracts fans from the time of opening and customers from afar.