If you’ve ever walked down Bellevue Avenue in Montclair, you probably remember being drawn to Moss + More. When you stepped inside this local plant shop, shoppers felt like they were in a jungle because of the variety of plants spread out around the storefront. But when Moss + More moved to 42 Upper Montclair Plaza, a local Montclair florist took the opportunity to open a store for her home-based business. Studio Nectar transformed 246 Bellevue avenue from a color palette of greens and browns to a burst of vibrant colors. Whether it be floral arrangements for a wedding or an arrangement for your home, Studio Nectar is here to help make your creative vision a reality. Read on to learn more about this local Montclair floral shop.
About Studio Nectar
Studio Nectar is a local floral shop located at 246 Bellevue avenue. The sustainable floral design studio has a variety of services, where Studio Nectar staff work directly and collaboratively with you to create the floral design you imagine. Wedding bouquets and tablescapes are just a few of the examples of projects this local store provides.
Studio Nectar creates arrangements for requested events and fulfills “weekly fine flower orders for restaurants and residences, do in-home design for intimate dinners and holiday parties, style patios and homes for film and photo shoots, and provide floral design for product launches,” according to the website.
Read More: Must-Visit Garden + Plant Shops in North Jersey
The founding director, Amy Gofton, has always had an eye for design. Prior to starting her business, Gofton was the Vice President of Design at Kate Spade.
Gofton loved the sculpture aspect of creating accessories and clothing, she said.
“I always loved the more sculptural aspect of building accessories,” Goton said. “I think that has definitely translated into the way I build my arrangements and the way I see form and shape come together.”
Studio Nectar gave Gofton the opportunity to combine her two passions: fashion and flowers. Through the studio, she used flowers to create floral designs and arrangements.
Gorton’s love for flowers came from her mom’s love for gardening and dad’s passion for painting, she said.
“I think that like between having that tactile experience in the garden with nature and texture and color and then having that with my dad inside with the paints and the palettes and just like loving the way colors come together and can transform a mood space your personal outlook on things both lead into my careers,” she said.
Studio Nectar wants to educate the Montclair community and the spot hosts workshops at the studio for the public.
A couple of the events the spot hosts are cake decorating, winter wreath making, and garland making, according to the website.
Opening at 246 Bellevue Avenue
Over the last two years, the owner of Moss + More, Amy South, let Gofton host pop-up flower bars during the weekends to “infuse the space with color,” Gofton said.
When Moss + More moved to a new location, Gofton “jumped” at the chance to move her business into retail, she said.
“[Moving to retail], was a major undertaking even with having had a little taste because you know anytime you take on all of the operations of a store and have to really visualize the full space,” she said. “We’ve worked every single day, seven days a week to make everything come to life.”
Studio Nectar has been at their Bellevue location since mid-September. During the pandemic, Gorton had more time at home to focus on her craft and start her business. She was “taking work that was coming to her,” Gorton said.
She used social media as a way to promote her business and credits it as “the main way my business has organically grown.” During the pandemic people needed flowers and social media was her way of connecting with potential customers, she said.
“People needed flowers,” Gorten said. “They needed something that they could door drop to like friends and family in the community that showed them they were thinking about them that they cared about them that they were a way of communicating with each other and like expressing love when you couldn’t physically be present.”
Sustainable Business
Studio Nectar is highlighted online as sustainable floristry. The studio does not use floral foam as the base for its arrangements, source from local farms, use seasonal flowers when possible, compost, and waste as little as possible, according to the website.
The studio is 100% film-free, Gorten said. “We try to green waste at least 85% of our materials so we bring everything back. We separate it out. We break it down. If something could be recycled, we clean it, we put it back into our inventory,” Gorten said.
What to Expect
When you walk into Studio Nectar, you immediately feel like you are walking into a garden. The stem bar in the center of the store brings a vibrance of color to the studio. Every color you might want to add to your floral arrangement is there.
The flower smell is present at all corners of the room and makes you feel like you are walking through botanical gardens. The studio’s environment is one you will remember and seek to return to.
You can go up to the front and talk with Gorten, or someone on her staff, to discuss creating a personalized arrangement or you can buy something in the store. The stem bar is there for you to start your flower journey. You make your way around the stem bar to create the floral arrangement you want. Whether it be small or big, the stem bar gives customers an opportunity to tune into their artistic side.
See More: A Guide to Flower Shops in Hoboken + Jersey City
No matter what you are shopping for when you enter Studio Nectar, Gorten and her staff are there to help guide and work with you to create the arrangement you desire.
“There is no expectation when you walk through the door… if you want to talk we’re happy to chat, if you want to just be in your own space and kind of like a dream, that’s great too,” she said. “We love to be available to serve everyone who comes in.”
