Pearsons Are Celebrating!

In 1969, Clare and Fred Pollak bought a small flower shop in Bondi Junction and soon transformed it into a flourishing floral business with key locations across Sydney. Together they travelled the world looking for ideas to make sure they could offer the most contemporary products in their beautiful modern stores Fifty years and three generations later, their children and grandchildren carry on their proud heritage of quality and innovation to ensure that Pearsons continues to be Sydney’s most respected florist.

From the moment Clare first arrived in Sydney from London she was admired for her eye for fashion. As she disembarked from the “Moreton Bay” in 1948 she was asked her opinion on Australian women’s fashion by the Sun newspaper. She was described as “fashionably dressed”. And that was not the only way that a young Clare Pollak was ahead of her time.

Fast forward 21 years: Despite the demands of four young children, she was determined to forge her own career. And, having just returned from her native London in 1969, she wanted a business that would give her a creative outlet. She and Fred finally settled upon a flower shop on Bronte Rd that had been owned by Jack Pearson. Not wanting to change the name of the store, Fred and Clare became known throughout the industry simply as Mr and Mrs P.

Fred wasn’t supposed to be part of the business. He had been a butcher in London, and then, after serving in Singapore during the war, was a tailor in Elizabeth Bay. In fact, one of his clients was the Australian Prime Minister, Sir William McMahon. Fred was just going to stick around for three weeks at Pearsons until Clare got a few things sorted. Forty years later, he was a still providing sage advice, but now to the next generation of florists.

Fred would head off in his van to the markets at 4am, and over time built strong relationships with the local growers to ensure Pearsons got the very best flowers. Clare would get to know her customers so that she able to design a beautiful arrangement that had a distinctly personal touch. And their commitment to customer service meant they would take orders any hour of the night, long after their competitors had taken the phone off the hook. Their dedication and hard work paid off, as they quickly grew Pearsons from a single store in Bondi Junction to a thriving floral business with stores across Sydney.

Their son, Bernie, who’d been to the markets with his father since he was a boy, eventually took over the key role of flower buyer and Retail Director for Pearsons. Their daughter, Barbara, who’d been a successful executive at IBM, came back to the business to take over the marketing and technology from her mother, Clare. Together they helped Pearsons take advantage of the digital revolution without sacrificing the foundation values of the business. They gave customers the ability to order online, but retained key stores to still allow them to provide the personal touch that Clare and Fred had always insisted upon. And they started a School of Floristry in the Oxford St flagship that helped share Clare’s artistry with a new generation.

Now, as Pearsons achieves the extraordinary fifty-year milestone, the baton is being handed to a third generation as Bernie’s son, Avi, joins the business. Together, Bernie, Barbara, Avi—and the entire Pearson’s extended family—are committed to the three core values established by Fred and Clare all of those years ago: Quality, Creativity and Service. We are determined to protect the proud heritage that made us Sydney’s most trusted florist. But also we strive to continually innovate, to find new ways to serve you with the most beautiful flowers and the most thoughtful gifts.

We thank you for supporting Pearsons over these last fifty years. And we look forward to continuing to serve you in a way that honours the memory of our dear founders, Fred and Clare. Pearsons Florist are a third generation family business passionate about flowers, creativity and exceptional customer service for nearly 50 years.