From seedlings to bloom – the story of the sunflower ladies from Bunwell
In hindsight the seed that grew into the ‘sunflower ladies’ was planted in 2009 when Julie Wilson and her family moved from Surrey to the South Norfolk village of Bunwell. Living opposite was Paula Carter and her family. Gradually Julie and Paula became friends, linked by some common threads. Both had careers in business that had been put on hold as they raised young children who now went to the same local school. Moreover, during one of their chats, they found they both loved sunflowers – and gradually a commercial idea was conceived involving an online shop selling bespoke gifts and luxury products which captured the essence of sunflowers.
The idea, the seed, was developed and nurtured. Their online business - ‘
Ilovesunflowers.co.uk’ – was launched in February 2011 and Julie and Paula have become Twitter’s @sunflowerladies.
The website based shop helps to promote the work of Norfolk crafts people with the majority of items made exclusively for the site. Their range includes a selection of items made from pewter, fused dichroic glass, wood, fabric, pottery and toiletries, made for them by a hand-picked team of craftspeople such as Jean Knowles, Hazel Millington, Yvonne Law and Julie Hurst. All of the items are unique and exclusive to ilovesunflowers.
Paula Carter and Julie Wilson
In the months leading up to and since the launch they agree that they have learned a lot about the online retail world, specifically in marketing and dealing with their suppliers. “I’ve loved the whole experience so far,” says Julie, “though it’s been hard work and a steep learning curve. Everything we’ve done, every decision we’ve made – even the bad ones - has provided us with an opportunity to learn and refine how we operate. For example I knew little about social networking and marketing before we went into business. But now I’m a regular tweeter and blogger! Overall I’m very happy with progress so far. Initial feedback from our customers has been positive and confirmed our instincts about the popularity of sunflowers and the potential for our business to flourish”.
Paula is similarly enthusiastic. “Yes, it’s looking positive at the moment. We’ve focused on making sure that if you buy from us you receive outstanding customer care – and our customers have clearly taken pleasure in the products. I have always loved sunflowers - they are the ultimate symbol of summer for me - and this kind of feedback makes me confident that we have captured their beauty in our product range”. A bubbling passion and desire to succeed are the most obvious characteristics that the sunflower ladies are bringing to the business world – along with quality products. “We will continue working closely with the wonderful range of creative and artistic talent throughout Norfolk and beyond to evolve our product range,” adds Julie.
As the business matures and midsummer nears ‘
Ilovesunflowers.co.uk’ looks ready to blossom – and the early signs are that it should prove to be a successful venture well beyond the summer season.
Sunflower Stoneware Butter Bell Pewter Sunflower Pendant Sunflower Petal Toiletries
Julie Wilson, Wayside Cottage, Bunwell Street, Bunwell, Norfolk, NR16 1 NA
Julie@ilovesunflowers.co.uk 0797 333 0489 Paula Carter, Ashtree Cottage, Bunwell Street, Bunwell, Norfolk, NR16 1NA
Paula@ilovesunflowers.co.uk 07966 185795
www.ilovesunflowers.co.uk
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