What did you do on Valentine’s Day?
It’s one of the busiest and most stressful days in the florist’s calendar, so the last thing you might want to do on Valentine’s Day is open your brand-new shop. But that is exactly want Anja Norris of Norris Floristry did.
Having operated from a studio for the past two years, which was becoming increasingly unworkable, Anja only got the keys to her new premises in the market town of Glossop, Derbyshire, in January, and together with her husband worked incredibly hard to get it ready for the 14th, laying a new floor, repainting walls, sourcing display units and stylish sundries.
Fortunately, the gamble paid off with curious customers making the time to visit Glossop’s latest addition to its busy high street. Anja said, "We plan to bring our distinct style of floristry to the town and are really keen to be part of the local community, we don’t want to be just a floral showroom more a creative hub where floral design is accessible and where clients can feel relaxed and inspired. In the short time we’ve been open we’ve been really well received which is incredibly exciting".
This new chapter for Norris Floristry comes on the back of two very busy years, in May 2022 they won a Silver Gilt medal for their first exhibit at Chelsea Flower Show, Anja completed her Level 5 Master Floristry at The Sheffield Flower School.
And, if that wasn’t enough, in January 2023 they had the privilege of creating the floral installations for the funeral of Dame Vivienne Westwood, who was born in the nearby village of Tintwistle.
In an uncertain economic climate, how encouraging to be able to celebrate the opening of a new florist business, Glossop is a lucky town.
Su Whale is a florist and freelance writer with over twenty-five years' experience in the floristry industry. She is the author and publisher of three best-selling books: Cut Flowers, 4th edition (2020) Cut Foliage, 2nd Edition, (2021) and Houseplants (2019), all bookshelf essentials for the professional florist.
