The Artist

Mandy Benoit

The Eccentric Entrepreneur // ENTJ // Calla Lily Obsessed

Mandy began working at Trillium at the age of 14 when her mother owned the shop, with plans to continue working through school until she transitioned into a desk job using her multimedia and design background. 

However, as time went on, Mandy found herself falling deeply in love with both the creative and entrepreneurial side of the business, and the desk job never seemed quite as appealing. When it came time for her mother to retire, it was only natural for Mandy to step in and take over as the owner of the business.

Since taking over the shop in 2020, Mandy has been working hard on infusing her own vision into the shop while maintaining the same quality and care that Kanata has come to expect from Trillium. Her constant need for improving daily processes and refining the customer experience has been her top priority. Mandy has become a passionate small business advocate, spreading the #supportlocal message far and wide and meeting with other small business owners whenever she can. She truly believes it takes a village!

Some of her favourite moments in her floral career so far include: having a published article in Canadian Florist magazine, being interviewed on the Flower Podcast, winning the Florist's Favourite Award at the Fleurs de Villes exhibit for her "senorita" mannequin design, and attending 2 floral workshops in Vermont where she got to meet (and learn from) one of her floral idols - Hitomi Gilliam!

From a design perspective, she is not one to follow trends and believes that design rules are meant to be broken. She has been a resident of Kanata her whole life and is enjoying her suburban surroundings with her husband, tarantula, and 2 dogs; Zoey and Chaz.