Valentine's Special - Is owning a flower shop a bed of roses?

Have you ever dreamt of jacking in your boring office job to do something else...such as opening a flower shop on your local high street? You too? Well meet 3 women who did exactly that.

In my loosely Valentine's themed post, I went to visit the brains behind Divine at No. 12, the thriving florist and gift boutique in Teddington to find out more.

12 Church Road, Teddington, TW11 

"It was the same last Valentine's Day. We order the roses and wait, then all the men rush in at the last minute. Red roses tend to be bought by guys still in the woo-ing stages of a relationship, whereas the married ones tend to go for something less showy." says Lilian. "It's still rare for women to buy flowers for men, which is a shame. Everyone loves receiving flowers."

"Would you like flowers for Valentine's Day, Lilian?"

"Of course! I do this because love flowers."

Lilian

The three friends opened their beautifully curated store after deciding that a physical presence was needed for the wedding flower company started by Lilian and Leigh a decade ago.  Lillian worked in marketing and Leigh in illustration; both made conscious career changes to satisfy their creative impulses on a deeper level. Deborah, whose background is in retail buying, completed the picture and Divine at No. 12 was launched 14 months ago.

Running the shop, working at weddings most weekends, teaching floristry courses and having 7 kids between them, make for busy lives.

Leigh

The entrepreneurial spirit of the Divine ladies is infectious. They clearly love what they do and care deeply about their customers and the quality of their products. Their signature vibrant aesthetic has won them celebrity wedding commissions and a loyal local following.

"The downsides of floristry are the early mornings and having to leave most of the work till the very last minute to maintain the freshness. We do our best to forward plan, but you can't avoid the rush to the finish."

Deborah

"It's so much easier now we have a space to meet clients and showcase our work. Our shop brings visitors into the Teddington area too. Clients always comment on how lucky we are to have so many independent shops and boutiques here. What they don't know is that the situation is very precarious; we shopkeepers work really hard to compete with the chainstores."

"Every bouquet or greeting card that is bought from Marks and Spencer up the road is a sale taken away from us and our wholesalers."

This comment made me very aware of the countless times I've picked up £8 tulips wrapped in clear plastic from the doorway of the supermarket when I could have left Divine with a freshly cut hand-tied fragrant bouquet for a very reasonable £10.

Ooh-la-la

For those lucky enough to live amongst such passionate independent shopkeepers, think about how your high street would feel if they were all gone. Hardworking independent traders like Divine at No. 12 make your area prettier, bring enterprise to your community, add value to your properties and variety to your daily lives.

If you love where you live, then do your little bit or risk loosing it forever. It may require a little more effort than going to the supermarket but the walk will do you good.

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Divine at Number 12, Church Road, Teddington TW11 8PB,
Tel: 020 8274 2458 / M: 07813 151569