Lockdown Life without Flowers
Lockdown Life Without Flowers
On Monday, 23rd March this year, like so many others, we closed the doors to our “wee flower factory” due to the Corona Virus Pandemic. Although it was heart-wrenching…I cried buckets believe me…it absolutely was the right thing to do, without hesitation, for the safety for our staff, our fab & loyal customers and ourselves.
In the 20 years of running our own business, we never would have expected to have to temporarily close, put our team on furlough and spend 10 weeks (and counting) at home. A testing time for most small businesses with so many uncertainties…but, it has allowed us time to re-evaluate our business and focus on the direction we can see it going in the months & years to come. We are both Blairgowrie (well, Rattray for me actually) born and bread and we are passionate about the commitment we have to our wee town and offering our services to the community.
We want to be here, we want to re-open, we want to see our customers lovely faces again, we want to see, and feel, the joy that flowers bring!
Due to the lock down, many couples that were due to be married from March onwards, have had to postpone their wedding dates which is truly heart-breaking. Re-scheduling 63 weddings (to date) has been a little tricky for us I’ll be honest, has thrown up a few wee challenges along the way…finding new dates for so many couples when you already have bookings is not easy…but we have done it and look forward to creating the wedding flowers of their dreams when their special days arrive. 2021 is going to be a bumper of a year for weddings and I cannot wait!!
So, what has lock down been like for me…in all honesty, I’ve kind of liked it!! I know we are not supposed to say so and it is an absolutely tragic time we are living in, but it is true. It has allowed me time to focus on so many things…the importance of life and just how precious it is, that old “life-work” balance, the business, our team, our family, ourselves and our future. I am lucky though, I have a garden and have enjoyed it hugely just listening to the birds, watching plants & trees come to life, seeing the grass grow…and boy does it grow!!
I have missed my flowers desperately though. Not having them around me every day, not being in the shop and not being able to create joyous designs has been tough. 36 years of doing something is not easy to stop!! Lately, as the garden develops, I’ve been doing a few wee Facebook Live’s which has been brilliant fun. It get’s my creative juices flowing again and I hope it brings a smile and a little inspiration to everyone watching. Going forward, this will be something that I plan to do on a weekly, if not daily basis.
The next couple of weeks will see us (well, Stephen as I am shielding) re-arranging and getting the shop ready for re-opening. He has been busy up-cycling furniture and making our safety screens which look fab! We will keep you posted on a potential opening date, hopefully the end of June/beginning of July, and the safety policies that will be in place.
I cannot wait to get back to doing what I love…!
Thanks for reading. Keep safe
Jillian
