News Article

THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
Basement business makes memories that last




RADHIKA PANJWANI
February 5th, 2007

Floral display -- Jin Bhachu is a co-owner of An Everlasting Rose, a business which preserves floralarrangements using a special freeze-dry method. Photo by Brennan O'Connor

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When creative ideas strike Jin Bhachu, owner of Mississauga flower company An Everlasting Rose, she quickly scrambles to her basement to bring them to life.

The basement in Bhachu's west Erin Mills home doubles as her workshop and her business is all about saying it with flowers.

The 30-year-old entrepreneur uses a special freeze-dry method to extract moisture from flowers and preserve them. As a result, fresh flowers from birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and other special occasions can be preserved for years in their original state.

The flowers are treated and then mounted on shadow boxes, elegant frames, classical jewellery boxes and other accents. The box is then sealed in an air-tight plastic bubble and it can be mounted on the wall or placed on tabletops.

An Everlasting Rose is the only GTA business that offers this specialized service.

Bhachu has preserved flowers from a bride's bouquet and adds a touch of whimsy by incorporating a champagne bottle and string of pearls nestled on a piece of satin -- all mounted onto a shadow box.

"It is definitely satisfying to know that a piece of art that I created will some day get passed on from one generation to generation," Bhachu said. "I feel a sense of happiness and accomplishment at the end of all my jobs because I am basically creating happy memories for people."

Most flowers take well to preservation. However, lilies, orchids and tiger lilies are finicky. Bhachu uses different techniques for different flowers.

She certainly did for Susana Mota, an Etobicoke resident who wanted someone to add a special touch to her wedding memories.

Mota held onto the roses from her wedding by keeping them in the refrigerator. The next day, she dropped them off to Bhachu, who used the freeze-dry method to eliminate moisture from the bright red roses. She then incorporated the flowers along with the wedding invitation and a wedding picture to create a shadow box that now hangs in Mota's home.

"It is a unique twist to the traditional photo albums," said Mota. "I was so happy with the results. People spend a fortune on flowers for their weddings and the flowers die after a few days. This is a beautiful way to preserve both the flowers and the memories."

The cost of such keepsakes ranges from $250-$700, depending on the design, frames and the look.

For more information, visit www.aneverlastingrose.com

You can reach Radhika Panjwani at rpanjwani@mississauga.net