The Two of Us: Brian and Sussan Glover

Brian and Sussan Glover in their new shop Lilies Flowers in the Piccadilly Arcade. Photo/Joel Ford Brian and Sussan Glover are the team behind Lilies Floral Boutique, the exquisitely designed flower store in Piccadilly Arcade, Tauranga.

Brian on Suzie

Our journey began more than 35 years ago in Laguna Beach, California. I met Suzie through a mutual friend. We soon discovered we had similar philosophies on life. At that time she was making and selling pottery for a living. Watching her work, her amazing artistic ability was apparent.
It wasn't long before we were working on projects together - the first being the construction of a sales booth at a local prestigious art festival. It was the start of not just many combined work endeavours but a romance - then marriage!
Our first major design undertaking together was the restoration of a house at the Mount. This was in 1975 and the house was more than 50 years old then. It even had a meat safe in the kitchen, as in pre-electricity days.
Suzie's artistic ability was invaluable in the interior designing and colour coordinating, Suzie knew all about gardening and plants and has landscaped all our houses. Lilies Floral Boutique is the natural outlet for this.
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Sussan is a Hebrew word for the lily flower, and also means 'joyful'. Suzie has poured her artistic talents into the shop design for the last couple of months through a combination of colour, lighting, mirrors and stocking it with her own manufactured jewellery. She has also carefully selected items, some of them some of them antique, art work in the form of flower paintings done by Tauranga florist celebrity Carol King.
Combined with the amazing floral arrangements done by the very talented florist Tamandra, Suzie has designed an amazing shop.
Suzie on Brian

In the summer of 1974 in my home town of Laguna Beach California, I was getting ready for the Summer Art Festival where I was making stoneware planters. Brian offered to build me my walk-through booth for the season. Next thing I know we were living in Hawaii and married, then back to Mount Maunganui where Brian is from.
We bought our first house in the Mount. Brian built me a studio that that housed my kiln. I began making stoneware planters for shops in Tauranga mostly and other places in the North Island. House number two - Brian did the same thing. It had amazing views over Rabbit Island and the ocean. Next place a 45-acre lifestyle property at Pahoia.
This time Brian remodelled the homestead and built the a cottage studio at the top of the property and I opened a shop. Another move to Omokoroa, on the beach and a huge terraced garden that we have worked on for ages.
We have had two Garden and Art Festivals in and many garden clubs. Brian built a beautiful orchid house with lead light windows which included great views of the harbour. I work there, make jewellry, grow orchids and bromeliads.
One of the shops in Piccadilly Arcade became available and Brian said, "Why not go in and have a go?"