About Christopher Saban
Meet Chris – the owner and creative force behind Merchant & Green, Redfern’s much loved boutique flower and plant shop.
Chris’s affinity for flowers and plants goes way back to his memories of growing up in the countryside of Northern NSW, where he’d spend countless hours with his grandparents in their garden.To Chris, flowers are deeply connected to a happy place surrounded by family.
“The scent of jonquils reminds me of being about five or six and crawling through the fence to get next door to play with the neighbourhood kids.”
Despite being a country boy at heart, Chris was always drawn to the big city life and moved to Sydney in the early 1990s, Moving into the commercial world of design and styling, he gained years of experience in creative fields such visual merchandising, as a stylist for special events and magazine editorial. He studied at the National Art School, regularly exhibiting in painting and drawing exhibitions from 1998-2008.
However, it was his involvement in the special event industry for over 15 years planning, designing and creating large scale corporate and wedding events where he honed his skills and eye for detail
Merchant & Green opened on Bourke Street in 2017, as boutique florist, micro nursery and workshop space. Employing a team of talented floral decorators. Most recently, in 2022 Merchant&Green is moving into a larger studio and dedicated workshop space, allowing him to expand on the business’s wide range of classes designed to help people to reconnect with nature and hone their creative skills with hands-on learning.
With the challenges of the covid 19 pandemic, the business has managed to flourished online, teaching live streaming workshops across the country and delivering happiness to local Sydney siders with their renowned bouquets, gourmet range and plants.
Grounding himself in the local neighbourhood and making connections with like-minded local businesses and makers brings Chris fulfilment. In sharing his love for flowers and plants, he hopes to inspire others to fill their life with more natural beauty.