As you might expect, a game called Flower Shop ends up looking rather nice on the table.
Created in 2021 by Mike Zapawa—probably best known for Tumbleweed—the version of Flower Shop that hit the coffee table with the Meeple Guild comes from Kanare_Abstract (kanare-abstract.com). It follows the familiar Kanare format: a small box, cloth board, and wooden pieces. This is the second of Zapawa’s designs to receive the Kanare treatment, with Slyde being an earlier release.
Like most entries in Kanare’s “small box” line, Flower Shop is quick to learn, making it ideal for slipping into a pocket and teaching to a friend over coffee.
This two-player abstract has each player trying to grow groups of pieces representing plants. As with many abstracts, the theme doesn’t play a functional role, but the presentation helps: red and yellow flower pieces paired with green stem pieces look increasingly appealing as the board fills and the “plants” take shape.
On your turn, you place two pieces—any combination of flowers in your color and neutral stems. However, flowers cannot be placed adjacent to each other, and individual plants also can’t touch.
One strategic wrinkle—slightly at odds with real-world botany—is the use of pieces to block your opponent’s growth. A single, well-placed piece can sit awkwardly in the middle of things, stunting expansion and forcing reroutes.
At the end of the game, each plant scores points equal to the number of stems multiplied by the number of flowers. The player with the higher total wins.
I liked Flower Shop quite a bit, thanks to its simplicity and clean aesthetics. Trevor was a bit less enthusiastic, mostly due to some of the restrictions—most notably the rule preventing multiple flowers on a single stem, which feels counterintuitive if you’re thinking about an actual garden.
Still, even Trevor wouldn’t balk if Flower Shop showed up on the table during another coffee break.
If you’re already placing an order with Kanare_Abstract, Flower Shop certainly deserves serious consideration for your basket.
About Author
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
More Game Than One Might Expect
Created in 2021 by Mike Zapawa—probably best known for Tumbleweed—the version of Flower Shop that hit the coffee table with the Meeple Guild comes from Kanare_Abstract (kanare-abstract.com). It follows the familiar Kanare format: a small box, cloth board, and wooden pieces. This is the second of Zapawa’s designs to receive the Kanare treatment, with Slyde being an earlier release.
Like most entries in Kanare’s “small box” line, Flower Shop is quick to learn, making it ideal for slipping into a pocket and teaching to a friend over coffee.
This two-player abstract has each player trying to grow groups of pieces representing plants. As with many abstracts, the theme doesn’t play a functional role, but the presentation helps: red and yellow flower pieces paired with green stem pieces look increasingly appealing as the board fills and the “plants” take shape.
On your turn, you place two pieces—any combination of flowers in your color and neutral stems. However, flowers cannot be placed adjacent to each other, and individual plants also can’t touch.
One strategic wrinkle—slightly at odds with real-world botany—is the use of pieces to block your opponent’s growth. A single, well-placed piece can sit awkwardly in the middle of things, stunting expansion and forcing reroutes.
At the end of the game, each plant scores points equal to the number of stems multiplied by the number of flowers. The player with the higher total wins.
I liked Flower Shop quite a bit, thanks to its simplicity and clean aesthetics. Trevor was a bit less enthusiastic, mostly due to some of the restrictions—most notably the rule preventing multiple flowers on a single stem, which feels counterintuitive if you’re thinking about an actual garden.
Still, even Trevor wouldn’t balk if Flower Shop showed up on the table during another coffee break.
If you’re already placing an order with Kanare_Abstract, Flower Shop certainly deserves serious consideration for your basket.
About Author
Calvin Daniels
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
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