Fresh Bouquets & Arrangements

An Honest Update from Jamesia Blooms:

The Future of Our Fresh Flowers
When we opened this florist, our dream was to bring beautiful, fresh blooms to our community. But the reality of running a small business means we have to be honest with you! If a local shop isn't used regularly, it cannot survive. Sometimes we can go a whole week without a single fresh flower order. In the cooler months, that is manageable because the cold weather keeps our premium stock alive for up to three weeks. However, as we would never sell older stock at full price, we still lose money as we have to reduce unsold stock after the first few days. But in this intense summer heat, some unsold flowers can wilt and die within 3 to 4 days and in the last few weeks, we have thrown away far more than we have sold. We cannot continue to waste money on stock that goes into the bin—it is simply not sustainable for a small business. We pride ourselves on keeping our costs as low as sustainably possible for our business, making sure you get quality and value for your money.

Many people automatically head straight to a supermarket aisle, and while supermarkets offer convenience, they can't replicate the true florist experience. When you buy from an independent shop like ours, you get a personal touch, beautiful bespoke wrapping, and a unique variety of flowers that are deeply cared for and looked after. As many of you know, M&S moved out of the town centre recently to relocate to the retail park. Even though they were always busy and packed with holidaymakers, their move means our high street has lost a massive draw. If we don't actively support the independent businesses left behind, our town centre risks being stripped down to just the big supermarkets and chain stores.

Whilst holidaymaker footfall is huge, they don't want fresh flowers and a florist relies heavily on the local community to survive year round. When we first opened back in october we were met with an overwhelming response with the general consensus being how amazing it was to have a florist back in the town. Our feature in the echo stated our 'use it or lose it' phrase but sadly a lot of you that were so happy to see us open have not supported us since. The lack of local backing caused slow sales even before the heat spiked, making us contemplate the future of our fresh stock.

What this means right now:
We don't want to give up on fresh flowers just yet, but we need your orders to keep them alive. Until demand picks up and the weather cools, fresh flowers will be strictly by advanced pre-order only, with a few necessary boundaries:
    •    Large-Scale or Grouped Orders Only: Because my wholesale suppliers require a large minimum spend for us to place a fresh delivery, we unfortunately cannot accept a single pre-order for a standard £30 bouquet. Doing so leaves us stuck paying for a huge bulk order where the rest just goes to waste. Fresh orders will need to be for larger events, or when we can bundle a few orders together at once. Please click the Contact page link at the top of our website if you require any assistance with a larger order or a large bouquet, and we can discuss options.
    •    Leftover Bouquets: If we do have any leftover stems from these larger specific orders, they will be lovingly made into bouquets for the shop floor. Otherwise, there will be no daily fresh stock.

Moving Forward:
Unfortunately, if things do not improve on the fresh flower bouquet daily sales, then we will have no option but to remove them and only concentrate on larger scale orders and events. This includes fresh flower for weddings, funerals, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day, where we can order in enough bulk to cover our supplier minimums. In the meantime we will concentrate on our popular artificial wreaths & bouquets, and adding quality gifting ideas.

We love serving you and creating our unique bouquets, but we need your support to keep the fresh side of this dream alive. Please remember to support your local shops before they are gone.
Thank you,
Jamesia Blooms