Hi... and most importantly welcome to Flora While, thanks for dropping by :-)
So first blog post… what to write?! There is so much going on at the moment, we are running between spreadsheets, test pots, bank accounts and website design it’s pretty hard to know where to start! So after a bit of contemplation I thought I’d start with a quick intro to ‘us’.
Sarah and I met on a very hot sunny day in September 1991… 1st day of secondary school… I remember it well, one of those really hot September days when you should still be outside with your mates, not starting a new school! And that’s been it ever since really... We shared some classes, but mostly just got on really well, spent a lot of time together in the holidays and had a few parties along the way!! Sarah was the sporty and arty one, I was the organised and musical one (don’t panic, we aren’t planning on singing!). Since school there has been a firm friendship that has spanned careers, holidays, house moves, weddings, country moves for Sarah (and some fantastic holidays for me as a result!) children, lots of laughter and a few tears along the way. And here we are, summer 2022, 31 years on, embarking on a new adventure together… eeek! If I’m honest this one seems quite huge!
When I look back over the years there is a thread of growing, colour and style in our relationship. We both grew flowers for our weddings and made our own bouquets, we’ve both done a bit of veggie growing along the way too… all with significant help from our green fingered parents whilst we learnt!
We both love colour – definitely different colour palates (which hopefully makes for a good shopping selection for you!) but injecting colour in is pretty important for us. Sarah’s background in art means she is much more adventurous than me with colour, but I’m learning to be braver!!
We both believe there is a really important balance between style and colour and we hope that’s what you’ll find when the online shop goes live… our collections won’t be clashy colours that you’d get in a mixed bag of bulbs from a big DIY chain or supermarket – we will be bringing you stylish pot designs that will give your front or back door a bit of wow factor. We are also adamant that the packaging will look great and you’ll get all the info you need to get the best from your bulbs – these are gifts for a friend who has never gardened just as much a gift for a gardener in your life.
Most importantly though, we both feel very strongly about doing our bit to look after the planet. So sustainable and recyclable all the way… no plastic or hard to recycle products here, and where possible we’ll tell you how to reuse too. The best bit about spring bulbs is they really help along the wildlife which we all know is a really important element of looking after the planet for the future.
But over the past few years looking after ourselves has become so much more of a focus too hasn’t it? When Sarah moved back to Cumbria late last summer, I made her a few front door pots so she had something for through the winter – she’d lived somewhere rather warmer and I was pretty confident she’d need a winter/spring boost! She’s been watching those 3 small pots for months, and the joy each different set of flowering has brought (evidenced by the photos I get sent!) has been obvious. Sarah keeps telling me we can start small and grow (we will be, we want to get this right) and those pots on her doorstep evidence that. But they also have reinforced that taking the time to pause, breathe, watch and wait has a huge impact on our mental and physical wellbeing. So we are hoping we’ll be able to help you along with that.
There is no doubt that embarking on starting a business is a new step for this friendship, and that it’s going to have its twists and turns but we’ve managed not to fall out yet! I’m pretty confident that is because we are both friendly, kind and easy-going. But I’m not a saint and do have a pet hate… bad customer service. So, high on the list of the things Flora While will be bringing you is engaging, good customer service. We are both known for liking to have a chat and are more than happy to answer questions – we are aiming to get it right, but know we will need to learn along the way so please do get in touch on our social media accounts if you have a question or comment.
And of course… we’d be so pleased if you joined us on the journey by following us on social media too… there is a lot going on and so much to share :-). Not to mention that you’ll get to see how crazy our days are running small business!
Right, thanks for reading this far, back to the spreadsheets for me now… or maybe I’ll just go and check on the flowers now the sun has come out?!
Vicki
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