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More than 20 years after they lived in Semaphore as a young couple and were married in the coastal suburb, Emma and Stuart Macdonald have returned to bring their florist and alpaca-themed café to Semaphore Road.
Twig & Bloom florist, and Alpacaccinos café both opened their joint venue on Friday, June 26, after relocating from the heritage-listed Clock Tower building in Gawler.
While the historic building gave the business a memorable home, it also came with a number of ongoing issues, and the couple reached a point where they needed to find somewhere new.
“We have so many memories in Semaphore from when we lived here,” Stuart said.
“It’s kind of like going home for us,” Stuart said.
The couple purchased Gawler Flower Gallery about five years ago after deciding they wanted to work for themselves.
Floristry had always been something Emma wanted to pursue, while Stuart’s previous career had been in sports management.
“We bought the florist shop, spent six months tidying that up,” Stuart said.
“Once that was done, we were like, what’s Stuart going to do next? We decided to stick a coffee machine in the corner and see how that went.”
That coffee machine grew into Alpacaccinos, an alpaca-themed café that has become a successful business in its own right.
The theme is continuing on in the new space in Semaphore, with the couple stocking a selection of alpaca-wool products alongside flowers and coffee.
“Our Alpaca wool products come from Kersbrook, a beautiful couple in their 80s who have alpacas. He shears them and she spins the wool and knits them, we can even tell you the alpaca’s name based on the colour of the beanie or scarf,” Stuart said.
Stuart said the two businesses naturally encouraged customers to experience more of the space.
“Having the coffee machine there attracts people to come in and buy flowers,” he said.
“They complement each other really well.
“People sit there and they’re having their coffee, and there are flowers all around them.”
At the front of the shop, one sign reads “flowers and gifts,” while the other says “café and conversation”.
“That’s genuinely who we are,” Stuart said.
“We love chatting with people and making real connections with customers.”
Twig & Bloom and Alpacaccinos
When: Open from 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and from 9am to 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Where: 122 Semaphore Rd, Semaphore
Find out more here.
