Business is blossoming for a busy florist whose customers include Strictly Come Dancing winner Stacey Dooley.
Blooming Gorgeous opened in Rhuddlan less than two years ago but already they’ve had to move to bigger premises in Prestatyn to cope with demand.
It’s been a labour of love for partners Ed Furber and Pete Fletcher who have built the business together and made the switch to larger premises on the High Street in Prestatyn where they live.
Among their many customers is documentary maker and Strictly champ Ms Dooley who recently ordered flowers for her mum, who lives in Prestatyn.
Ed said: “We’re both massive Strictly fans so it was a real thrill and Stacey’s mum was lovely and charming too.
“She actually follows us on Facebook so getting that order was certainly a highlight – it made my Friday.”
Blooming Gorgeous is the kind of unique shop Denbighshire County Council’s #LoveLiveLocal campaign promotes as part of the diverse and vibrant shopping experience available on the county’s high streets.
The project is centred on the busy run-up to Christmas and as part of the #LoveLiveLocal campaign shoppers can support local independent businesses by using the hashtag on Twitter and Facebook to share good shopping experiences.
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This is the second Christmas in business for Ed and Pete whose own backgrounds are very different - Ed is a country boy from near Mostyn while Pete is from Manchester and spent 22 years in the Army, serving in Kosovo and Afghanistan.
They bring different talents to the business as well with Ed, who initially trained as a chef but who also gained valuable experience in a florist in Rhyl, providing the creative spark while Pete handles the practicalities of orders and deliveries.
Ed’s first real attempt at floristry came when he did the flowers for his sister Vicky’s wedding: “She wasn’t going to have any but I decided she ought to and bought some and did them on the train on the way to the service,” he said.
“It grew from that but my real love is exotics, tropical flowers, and creating displays from them and my favourite flower is the Bird of Paradise.”
At first Ed and Pete operated the business from a garage but with a loan of £1,000 from Pete’s dad – now repaid – they set up in Rhuddlan and one of their first contracts was to provide bouquets for Lyons Holiday Parks, based in Rhyl.
Pete said: “We just cold-called and they had just come out of a meeting discussing what they could do for their customers and they asked us to provide bouquets for the people who had bought mobile homes.”
They buy their flowers from 海角视频-based companies and from wholesale flower markets which can mean turning up at half past three in the morning in Preston or Manchester to make sure they get the freshest stock possible.
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The business blossomed in Rhuddlan but they soon outgrew their small high street shop there and made the move to Prestatyn and Ed said: “It was purely down to the size of the shop but the move has really helped us to grow.
“These new premises are much bigger and the shop gets more light which is good for the flowers and it means we can display them better and there is good parking available in the town which also helps.
“At the time it seemed like a gamble and it was scary but it has really paid off and other businesses have been very supportive while the Town Council are brilliant and Denbighshire County Council are also very proactive.
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“It’s a busy high street which is thriving with lots of independent shops and actually the retail park has helped as well because it attracts people to the town and it is easy for them to also walk into the town and see the excellent offer it has.”
For more on #lovelivelocal go to .