She simply makes up a design for the week, photographs it, and asks customers to suggest a suitable name. As she says, customers love the feeling of being ‘engaged’ in the creative process. For more personal forms of


engagement, Sara has looked for ways to draw customers into the shop. Events such as her “Blooming


Big Tea Party” this summer not only raise money for charity (over £700 for a local hospice in that case) but also draw customers into the ‘real’ shop, encourage them to meet each other and have fun around the flowers, with tea and cakes and a tarot card reader. “For me it’s lovely to see the shop jam-packed with people, I love the buzz of that, and I also like the feeling of giving something back” It was for events like this that


Sara was named runner-up in the Retailer of the Year category of the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) Business Awards 2013, which won her invaluable publicity in the Hertfordshire Mercury newspaper. Now back to running the shop


as a one-woman band (with enthusiastic weekend help from her 15 year-old twin daughters Rosie and Alice and a flexible local delivery driver Helen) Sara admits that it’s more than a full- time job. “I do about 25 hours a day!” she jokes. But she has the satisfaction of


having exceeded even her own initial expectations. “I started with an empty shell of


a shop, no client base, so it was definitely slow to start with. Most people say you never break even in your first year – but I actually did. Then I started showing a profit from the second year”.


Knowing the Market Knowing the village as a resident has certainly helped in more ways than one. She knows (and is known by) the locals, she’s


My shop


You need to be on top of your finances the whole time - you need to know what your margins are and what your bottom line is doing.


aware that the village is a popular haunt for browsers and lunch- goers, and she has played to that by complementing the flower displays in the rustic-looking 17th century shop with carefully- selected gift lines. These are locally or UK-sourced


and include scented candles, hand-made soaps, jewellery, artwork, china and pottery. She’s also big on gift-wrapped


plants, which ensure the shop always looks pretty from the outside in. “The shop may be tiny, but my aim was to create a little space where people would enjoy a browse, as well as dashing in for a quick bouquet.” She displays flowers and


gifts on interesting old pieces of furniture, which are also for sale, and this ensures the shop’s displays change on a regular basis. When it comes to sourcing her


flowers and plants, she is largely an old-fashioned market-going florist, and makes time to visit Van Vliet in Enfield and Savins in Bedfordshire. “I think it’s really important


to get out of the shop and go to market to see what’s fresh,


available and new,” she says. “It’s also very sociable, and a


great way to keep up with what’s happening in the industry. “I do use a Dutchman as well,


but only for certain things, as it tends to be more expensive. I try to balance my buying, and I find it’s often possible to increase my margins by shopping carefully at my local wholesalers”. As Sara points out, in these


tough financial times, it isn’t enough just to be a fantastically skilled florist. “If there’s one thing I’ve


learned, it’s that you need to be on top of your finances the whole time - you need to know what your margins are and what your bottom line is doing.” Which is one reason why she


has recently started having sessions with a business coach, who helps her to focus on strategy and prioritising. “I’m definitely still learning,


and I expect I always will be,” she says, “but in terms of where I want to go, there are huge opportunities ahead. “Last year I concentrated on the


corporate market, so I haven’t even touched wedding fairs yet…!”


F&wb Autumn/Winter 2013 37


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