Did you know the Flower Room is Tasmania’s oldest co-op? Co-ops are businesses owned and run by their members, meaning everyone has a say in how things run. More than just a seller of flowers, cakes, sweet treats, and crafts, the Flower Room has a rich history dating back over 80 years.

 It was founded by sisters Hally and Emma Bayly who, through much of World War II, sold flowers from the garden at Runnymede, their beautiful family home in New Town. The outlet for their flowers was the Boomerang Stall, which consisted of a counter in the shop of Mr William Whitfield, at 87 Elizabeth Street, Hobart, where you could buy ‘the freshest fruit and the best sweets at the lowest prices’. The Boomerang Stall was established by Tasmanian Women’s Home Industries and its members sold homemade goods of every description including cakes, flowers, plants and needlework. They also mended clothes for their customers, looked after the children of members who worked there and even provided afternoon teas and light luncheons. In late 1942 however, members of the Boomerang Stall were informed that the shop would be an outlet solely for home cooks, and flowers would no longer be accepted.

The Misses Bayly, by now in their mid 50s, called a meeting of other ‘flower members’. They decided to establish a cooperative shop for their flowers and a committee of eight members was elected: It included the Misses Baylys, Mrs O’Mant, Mrs Guilline, Mrs Young, Miss Whitebread, Mrs Blakely and Mr Brown. Miss Whitebread was elected president and Mrs O’Mant was appointed secretary at a salary of 15 shillings a week. A room was rented at the rear of 27 Murray Street and each member contributed five pounds for the purchase of shelving, a counter, vases for the flowers and stationary to keep accounts. The committee decided to call the shop The Flower Room and it was opened in March 1943, over eighty years ago.

In 1945, The Flower Room began to sell handmade crafts to offset the lack of flowers in the winter months. The following year the sale of cakes was included but the venture was hampered by a lack of space. In the late 1950s, after a long search for suitable and affordable premises, The Flower Room moved to 15A Elizabeth Street, next to the General Post Office. It had a room that was ‘fresh, light and had a large front window’ but in July 1985 members of The Flower Room were given notice to vacate the premises. They had rejected a suggestion by the owner, Mr Eric Waterworth, that in the event of an emergency, members and their customers could escape through the windows of the floor above the shop and climb down a ladder into an adjoining carpark. Without an alternative escape route, Mr Waterworth decided he could no longer lease the property to The Flower Room and thus began the search for new premises.

The next home of The Flower Room was located in an upstairs room in Macquarie Street, opposite Walsh’s Lane. Just two years later they moved again, this time up another flight of stairs at 147 Liverpool Street. There they remained for twenty three years, until plans were made to build a thirteen story office tower on the site. In February 2011, after a long search for new premises, The Flower Room moved to its present location in Mathers Lane. It is there that its many customers continue to enjoy the produce of the local gardeners, floral artists, handcraft workers and home cooks who were members of The Flower Room.