Designer pops up in shop to help widowed florist

Florist Nicole Lemaire is closing the Florist Fairy after the holidays.

She said she just can’t keep it going after the death of her husband.

Lemaire and her husband Patrick Badertscher were new to the area and opened the flower shop in Creemore last November.

“The shop was something that we did together so I can’t bear to be in there without him and that’s why it has to be closed,” said Lamaire.

Badertscher died suddenly on Sept. 30 due to an aneurism. The couple had only been married two months.

Lemaire has decided to close after the holidays and in the meantime the shop has been taken over by Marcy Stewart, of Ms. Design, who does interior design and event staging.

Stewart usually opens a temporary shop in Creemore at this time of year, selling holiday décor pieces and urns.

Stewart said she decided to set up at the Florist Fairy while Lemaire was deciding the fate of her business, in case she wanted to keep the shop open.

“I’d like to sell off as much inventory as I can,” said Lemaire, adding that all stock is discounted. “The more foot traffic I can get through the door then the less I have to worry about.”

The Florist Fairy is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

It will be conducting workshops on making wreaths and centerpieces.

Stewart, and her Ms. Design team, is participating in the Collingwood Holiday House Tour this weekend, Nov. 14 and 15, and in the Creemore Holiday House Tour on Nov. 29.

Stewart is among local designers decorating eight homes in Collingwood and six homes in Creemore.

The Ms. Design team is decorating two homes on the Collingwood tour and four homes on the Creemore tour.

Ms. Design did interior and exterior decorating at the house that tied for people’s choice during last year’s Collingwood tour.

Both tours run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and there will be a marketplace at the Station on the Green the day of the Creemore tour.

Local businesses will be using items from their shops to decorate the homes and local restaurants will be serving food samples at the homes featured on the tour.

A portion of proceeds go to local charities.

The tours are organized by Bleu Venue Events. For tickets, visit www.bleuvenue.com.

Tickets for the Collingwood tour cost $30 and tickets for the Creemore tour cost $25.