Beverly Mott (nee Blue) was born August 25th, 1935. She was raised in the city of Belleville and graduated from BCIVS. She was married to Robert Mott (Mott Lumber, SM Windows) on December 11th, 1954 and moved over to Pete's Point, PEC. Her working career began at the Bug House (Dominion Parasite Laboratory - Entomology Lab). She then dedicated her time to raising her children, Stephen (Belleville) and Kim (Vancouver). She and her husband were both, and she remains, very active in the church community of St. Andrews (Victoria Ave) and has long been a member of their choir. After almost 50 years of marriage she lost her husband after a prolonged battle with Alzheimer's and consequently actively supports the Alzheimer's Society of Hastings-Prince Edward.
Bev's long and amazing career in downtown Belleville began at Marks and Spencer. In 1977 she started at Flowers by Dustin. She was hired and worked part time as a floral designer for Kevin Dustin who had purchased the store from his parents in 1976, Al and Eva Dustin, the original owners since 1949 . Kim (Dustin) Whalen remembers Bev as a quiet, calm and cheerful co-worker. "Bev always had a warm smile for everyone", says Kim.
The location of the store changed from the east side of Front St. over to the west side (390 Front St) where Bev even designed in the bare earth basement where excess flowers would be stored to keep cool at peak times. She continued to work for Sheila and Betty Harris who bought the store from Kevin in 1978 with some brief interludes for wrist injuries and health issues. Amazingly she is still employed at Flowers By Dustin by Rebecca Burlington who bought the store from the Harris' in 2003 and endured another location change when the store moved from 390 to 384 Front St.
"Bev is an extremely talented floral designer and she has experience in droves, but more importantly she is the most kind-hearted, caring and genuine person you could ever meet. We are all extremely fortunate to not only have her work with us but to have her as a friend. She is welcome to work here for another 40 years!" Bev generously donated her wedding dress from the 50's to the shop many years ago and it still remains on display to this day despite a few alterations and repairs. She celebrates her 80th birthday this August and we wish her all the very best. |
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| Born and raised just outside of Belleville, I went on to study at Queen's University and the University of Guelph. Following graduation, I returned home and began working at a nursery, looking to the shop as something to keep me busy in the off-season. By my early twenties, I had fallen in love with my job and all of the pieces fell into place in 2003 when I was fortunate enough to make it my life's work as well.
I truly enjoy meeting with brides for I find they all share the enthusiasm and excitement I feel about my product. They want everything to be perfect and to reflect their personal style on their wedding day and we are here to help them do just that. Many brides have little or no experience regarding flowers but they know what they like, and through the use of imagery and a collaboration of ideas, they are sure to find the perfect creation to inspire them and make their wedding day beautifully unique and memorable.
Weddings and events give us the opportunity to showcase our designs and I attend every design show I can to acquire new inspirations and techniques. I am committed to continuing to grow as a designer as well and have recently begun entering my own work in design competitions.
When dealing with any client, brides in particular, it is of the utmost importance to never underestimate their ideas and input. We believe the process must be a collaboration in order to create an extraordinary result, tailored to their theme, venue and tastes.
Of course, I would never be able to accomplish any of my goals without my wonderful and supportive family and friends and my flower shop family.
I would like to introduce my flower shop family who, along with myself, will be working with you toward creating the perfect flower designs for your wedding or special event.
Owner,
Flowers By Dustin
Debbie can be described as invaluable, creative, hilarious and kind. She has the amazing ability to recall 75% of our client base, along with their preferences. Debbie is a significant asset to the shop and it is truly difficult to put into words the countless ways she is important to us.
Sue is a thoughtful, outgoing, compassionate and positive individual with impeccable taste and design skills who accepts nothing less than perfection. She always considers the customer when she is creating and acknowledges and understands the significance that each order has in the lives of others.
Kind, calm, experienced and considerate are a few of the words that describe Bev. Bev takes a genuine interest in the lives of everyone she interacts with. When it comes to the safe wrapping and packaging of our designs, Bev sets standards high. We at the shop, in fact, make our decisions in this area using the WWBD rule..."What Would Bev Do"?
Nancy is fiercely loyal, dedicated, hard working and conscientious. She is always brainstorming ideas for the shop, whether it's 4am or 4pm, or her day off.
A recent and delightful new addition to our team, Leslie is extremely capable, possessing the skill set required to work in our flower shop. She is bright, easygoing, thoughtful and a lot of fun. Leslie has blended seamlessly into our environment. We wish we had discovered her sooner!
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