When the storefront at 246 Bellevue Avenue in Montclair became available, Amy Gofton knew it was the right time to move her home-based business into a bigger space. Amy is the mind behind Studio Nectar, a sustainable floral design studio. The space at 246 Bellevue Avenue was home to Moss & More, which had hosted Amy’s Studio Nectar pop-ups. Whether it be floral arrangements for a wedding or an indoor home arrangement, Studio Nectar is here to make any 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 customers to create the floral design they 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: A Guide to Floral Arrangement Classes in Northern New 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.
Amy loved the sculpture aspect of creating accessories and clothing, she previously shared in an interview with The Montclair Girl back in 2023.
“I always loved the more sculptural aspect of building accessories,” Amy 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 Amy the opportunity to combine her two passions: fashion and flowers. Through the studio, she used flowers to create floral designs and arrangements.
Gofton’s love for flowers came from her mom’s love for gardening and her dad’s passion for painting, she shared.
“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,” Amy said.
Studio Nectar wants to educate the Montclair community and the spot hosts workshops at the studio for the public.
A couple of the workshops the spot has previously hosted include cake decorating, wreath making, and card making, according to the website. Upcoming events include cake decorating (dates are TBD), as well as a maker’s studio kids series in July and August. For updates on future events, click here.
Opening at 246 Bellevue Avenue
The owner of Moss + More, Amy South, let Amy Gofton previously host pop-up flower bars during the weekends to “infuse the space with color,” she said.
When Moss + More moved to a new location, Amy 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,” Amy said. “We’ve worked every single day, seven days a week to make everything come to life.”
Studio Nectar has been at its Bellevue location since mid-September 2022. During the pandemic, Amy had more time at home to focus on her craft and start her business. She was “taking work that was coming to her,” she said.
She used social media 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,” Amy 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, sources from local farms, uses seasonal flowers when possible, composts, and wastes as little as possible, according to the website.
The studio is 100% film-free, Amy 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,” Gofton said.
What to Expect
Customers will immediately feel like they’re walking into a garden when stepping inside Studio Nectar. The stem bar in the center of the store brings a vibrance of color to the studio.
The flower smell is present at all corners of the room and makes customers feel like they’re walking through botanical gardens. The studio’s environment is one that one will remember and seek to return to.
Customers can go up to the front and talk with Amy or her team to discuss creating a personalized arrangement or buying something in the store. The stem bar is there for one to start a flower journey. Customers can make their way around the stem bar to create the floral arrangement they 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 one is shopping for when entering Studio Nectar, Amy and her staff are there to help guide and work with customers to create the arrangements they desire. Deliveries and consultations are also available by request outside shop hours on Monday and Tuesday.
“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.”
