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Qualup Bell Florist finds home in Hopetoun cafe

Headshot of Elena Morabito
Elena MorabitoKalgoorlie Miner
Qualup Bell Florist owner Toni Arndt
Camera IconQualup Bell Florist owner Toni Arndt Credit: Unknown/Supplied

Fresh flowers will soon flourish on the dining tables of Hopetoun residents, with the new Qualup Bell Florist officially opening its doors on Thursday.

Florist owner Toni Arndt said locals had always said they wanted fresh flowers, which encouraged her to “finally” do something to make that happen.

She told the Kalgoorlie Miner she always loved flowers as a little girl, and grew them in her own garden with the support of her parents who were farmers.

“We always had a big veggie garden and . . . my dad had a big flower garden, and my uncle in the next street had a big veggie and a big flower garden,” she said.

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“I suppose I just grew up with things around me growing.”

Ms Arndt said she went to university to become a social worker before later changing her career path and entering TAFE to learn the floral art form.

She then bought a house in her “beloved Hopetoun” in 2012, and retired in March this year, but when the Mount Barren Cafe opened she was given the opportunity to open a florist shop within the complex.

The Qualup Bell Florist celebrated a soft opening on August 11.

“Most people who came in they came to have a look on the first day — and most people bought something as well, so it was really nice,” she said.

Ms Arndt said she had considered multiple names for the shopfront, but the iconic Qualup Bell took the prize as the wildflower was found in the nearby Fitzgerald River National Park.

The florist will officially open on August 18 at 32 Veal Street to honour the birthday of Ms Arndt’s mother.

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