In Hasselt in the Belgian province of Limburg, the Thomas family runs a large flower and plant shop: Thomas Home & Garden Inspiration. Besides selling plants and flowers, Thomas runs a restaurant and sells decorative materials and gifts. Thomas wants to inspire customers and offer them a full experience. “If you put in a lot of effort, things will work out,” he says.
The building in Hasselt – a steel structure with lots of glass – looks futuristic: its roofs slope up from the inside out and are covered with solar panels providing electricity. When a fire obliterated the old building in 2002, the Thomas family decided to do it right from the start and create an architectural masterpiece, says Josephine Thomas, the third generation in the family business.
Her father Eduard developed the new building, which opened in 2004, together with an architect. He refuses to call it a garden centre, preferring instead to speak of a large plant and flower shop where experience and inspiration play a major role. A tour of Thomas Home & Garden Inspiration reveals why: it's not just about plants and flowers, but also about decorative materials and holiday gifts. And upstairs, there is a restaurant.
