By obtaining a free community map and specially designed postcards at collaborating shops, members of the public can follow the trail to collect artistic stamps and interactively explore the district’s unique local characteristics.
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA), under its “Arts and Cultural Partnership Programme in Old Urban Districts”, is supporting the “Flower Canvas” programme organised by Essence Hub under the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong (ELCHK). Launched in mid-July this year, the programme’s “Artistic Stamps Collection and Flower Market Postcard” campaign has received an enthusiastic response from the public. Within its first month, the initiative has successfully attracted a considerable number of locals and tourists, not only boosting footfall in the Flower Market but also stimulating business for local florists, thereby bringing new economic vibrancy to the district.
Utilising art as a medium to foster community ties, the campaign goes beyond offering diverse workshops for locals. It seamlessly integrates the Flower Market’s unique community stories with artistic elements. Through interactive postcard stamping and gift redemption activities, the initiative encourages members of the public to explore the district’s hidden gems and human stories. This approach effectively attracts more visitors and new customers, expanding the customer base for local merchants. Following a highly successful launch in its debut month, the campaign has distributed nearly 3,700 specially designed postcards and recorded around 1,000 gift redemptions. In view of the overwhelming response, gift redemptions will now be subject to daily quota and are available while stocks last.
Florist: “Timely Rain” for Off-Season Business at Flower Market
Participating florist Mr Rex Cheung (right) shares that the campaign not only expands his customer base but also enhances customer engagement, allowing him to better understand consumer expectations and refine his business strategies.
Participating florist, Mr Rex Cheung, noted that July is traditionally an off-season for the Flower Market, often characterised by quieter foot traffic and slower business. He described the campaign as a “timely rain” for local merchants. It successfully drew first-time visitors and those who infrequently visit the area. For instance, many parents took the opportunity of the summer holidays to bring their children along for family bonding activities, successfully lifting the overall foot traffic and atmosphere of the Flower Market. He added that many participants shared their experiences on social media and tagged his shop in their posts, bringing him additional promotional exposure.
Another florist, Mr Li, pointed out that participants navigated through different shops in the Flower Market to collect stamps, which helped stimulate consumption.
“About 20 percent of the participants made additional purchases, such as fertilisers or complementary flowers. Any initiative that drives business is a tremendous help to us,” he said.
He looked forward to more joint events by the URA and its partners to bring new economic vibrancy to the community.
Florist Mr Li believes that the URA’c collaboration with different organisations to host diverse events helps draw visitors to the Flower Market, boosting overall foot traffic and atmosphere.
Under the campaign, the organiser facilitated in-depth interviews involving active seniors, students, shop operators and residents. This inter-generational collaboration unearthed six distinctive community stories deeply intertwined with the Flower Market, ranging from the entrepreneurial journeys of florists and the historical footprint of old signboards to the enduring neighbourhood bonds that have blossomed over the years.
These six stories were subsequently transformed by a local artist into a set of unique artistic stamps, alongside four specially designed postcards. They are now placed across 31 collaborating shops in the Flower Market for public collection. Participants can obtain a free community map at designated locations and follow the trail to collect the postcards and stamps. Upon gathering all six stamps, participants can redeem flowers, small potted plants or planting gift packs at designated partner florists.
The stamp collection activity will run until 4 October 2026. Following its conclusion, Essence Hub will host a community exhibition in October to showcase the holistic outcomes of the campaign. The exhibition aims to offer the public multifaceted perspectives on the people and stories of the Flower Market, deepening their appreciation of the district’s unique identity and further strengthening the connection between the merchants and the community. During the exhibition, a free botanical contact printing workshop will be held for the public. Participants can experience the eco-dyeing technique of transferring the natural shapes and pigments of flowers and leaves onto textiles. Essence Hub will further announce the workshop details on its social media platforms.
“Artistic Stamps Collection and Flower Market Postcard” Campaign
Date: 12 July – 4 October 2026
Location: 31 partnering flower shops and merchants in Mong Kok Flower Market
Details: Collect a free community map and specially designed postcards to find the six community story stamps. Upon completion, participants can redeem flowers, small potted plants or planting gift packs at designated shops. (Limited daily quota applies, available while stocks last. For details, please refer to the Essence Hub’s social media platforms)
Participants who collect all six stamps can redeem floral gifts at designated partner florists. Many also shared their stamped postcards on social media, generating additional promotional exposure for the local merchants.
