Aux Bouquets de Kristel: between flower shop and floral café

Kristel Bastidon, artisan florist for 32 years. Midi Libre

In the heart of the Font-Neuve district in Béziers, Kristel Bastidon combines her passion for flowers and her proximity to the inhabitants in her shop Aux Bouquets de Kristel.

Daughter of shopkeepers, Kristel Bastidon grew up in the world of commerce: her mother ran a drugstore, her father a rotisserie. “When I was little, I spent my time weighing, wrapping, cashing up… I always dreamed of becoming a shopkeeper myself”, says Kristel, who has kept her mother's cash register in her shop.

Her love of flowers was born during an internship at college, a discovery that guided her entire career. After a CAP in floristry and a BEP in floral production, she perfected her skills for fifteen years at the prestigious Maison Bruniquel in Béziers, where she was trained by Roland, her mentor. “He gave me a love of flowers and decoration.” In January 2006, she realized her dream by opening her own boutique, “Aux Bouquets de Kristel”, in the Font-Neuve district of Béziers.

A vector of social connection

For nearly twenty years, Kristel has been composing bouquets with colorful and unique universes. “Each composition is for me a way of expressing life. I always ask what the person who will receive the bouquet is like: dynamic, romantic… And I create. Sometimes, husbands tell me: You know my wife better than I do!”, she jokes.

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Her specialty ? Trompe-l'oeil floral pastries, perfect for decorating a table or as a gift, and which represent 20% of her sales. The shop is not limited to selling flowers: deeply rooted in her neighborhood, Kristel launched a floral café in January 2023, inspired by a concept from the United States. This friendly space welcomes residents for hot drinks, watercolor workshops or introductions to floral art. An initiative that aims to strengthen social ties in this Font Neuve neighborhood marked by the gradual closure of several businesses.

Economic challenges

Like many businesses, “Aux Bouquets de Kristel” must also adapt to the current economic context. “The average basket has almost halved since Covid, and in-store traffic has decreased by 30%”, explains Kristel. To cope, she relies in particular on online sales, which now represent 20% of her turnover. For this, she chose the site fleuristes-et-fleurs.com because “no additional fees are charged to customers.”

She also values ​​word-of-mouth, which is a powerful lever for maintaining her sales. “In my job, we follow people throughout their lives: from marriage to the birth of children, from birthdays to times of mourning. It is this proximity that motivates me every day”, she concludes.

Bio express

Opening of the store: January 2006
Launch of the floral café: January 2023
Surface area of ​​the shop: 45 m²
Activity in 2024: 1,600 bouquets created.
Aux Bouquets de Kristel is located at 47 avenue de la Font-Neuve, in Béziers