person profile J
anet O’Rourke of Open-All-Flowers in Lancashire can well and truly vouch for the effectiveness of a great shop front. In fact, the revitalisation of her window display caused
quite a stir in her local town along with a 20% increase in sales and footfall. “I’m currently revitalised; I joined Slimming World in January and I’m a whole new gal! So now I’m two and a half stone slimmer I felt inspired to revamp my shop front, and Wow has it been an eye-opener!” Janet adorned pairs of her old, pre-Slimming World
jeans with flowers to create an eye-catching window display, alongside a graffiti backdrop reading: “Floral Jean-ious is ‘ere!” and “We’re in-jean-ious with Flowers!” This, plus a new black shop frontage, a new canopy and a new business model, has given her shop the surge of life it was looking for. “Like Amy Winehouse, I went ‘Back to Black’. It’s
mid-summer now and I’m over two and a half stone lighter and my shop is following suit. Sales and footfall are up 20%, all because the exterior of my shop is now grabbing as much attention as the floral displays I sell.” Open-All-Flowers was born 21 years ago. Janet
comes from a background of florists, and after pursuing a career in floristry straight out of school, she went on to win Interflora’s North West Florist of the Year title. However after opening her shop and joining Interflora time quickly passed, leaving little room for more competitions and training. Janet and husband Nigel battled through an
extremely tough 2012, taking the shop offline to care for their seriously ill daughter. This prompted their desire for change, and so they made the decision to cut connections with relay and add some extra oomph to the business. “What’s the point in being a wonderful florist
if folk don’t give you a second look because the exterior of your business isn’t quite looking as loved and polished as it should? I’m still the same gal in the back creating the same fab stuff, but now more people are finding that out. “It’s simply the best advertising money I’ve spent;
a pot of black paint, a stylish new blind and some ‘off plan’ thinking with regard to my window displays.” And Janet’s revitalisation doesn’t stop there! As well
as a new-look shop front and a 20% increase in sales, her fresh feelings have prompted her to get involved with floristry workshops and training days again. “I’ve even found the time to dip a toe back into
the world of demos and training days and have just spent a very enjoyable and informative weekend attending a demo and workshop hosted by Gregor Lersch… the man is amazing!”
66 F&wb Autumn/Winter 2013
In-Jean-ious Janet revitalises her life and her shop
It takes a bit of time to wean yourself away from relay mentality– they’re comforting but controlling at the same time.
Despite having been an Interflora member since
setting up shop, Janet found that leaving the world of relay brought a breath of fresh air, and she now has much more time to concentrate on what’s important. “With the help of my husband Nigel, we’d already
built up our website and generally cemented ourselves in a good place. I had been with Interflora for what seems like forever but all things end and it was my time to say goodbye. It takes a bit of time
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