It’s been one month since I turned the key, opened the door and welcomed people into Floral Stories for the very first time. And what a month it’s been.
After more than a year of building, planning, making, second guessing, dreaming and probably talking about Floral Stories to anyone who would listen, suddenly it became real. There were flowers in the buckets, candles on the shelves, the wax melt bar was full and people were actually walking through the door.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget opening day. Seeing a little shop that had existed in my head for so long finally filled with people was incredibly surreal.
The reality of running a little shop
The first month has been beautiful. It has also been absolutely exhausting. I’ve quickly discovered that running Floral Stories means wearing approximately 47 different hats at any given moment.
One minute I’m conditioning flowers, the next I’m pouring wax, wrapping an order, cleaning The Farrier’s Loft, serving a customer, answering messages, ordering stock or attempting to remember what I was originally doing 5 minutes ago.
All while trying to be present for my family and protect the reason I wanted to build this life in the first place.
There have been wonderfully busy days where the shop has been full of chatter and I’ve gone home completely buzzing. And there have been quiet days where I’ve stared at the door willing somebody to walk through it. I’m learning that both are part of it.
Starting a business is funny like that. You can have a brilliant Saturday and feel like you’ve cracked it, followed by a quiet Tuesday that has you questioning every decision you’ve ever made before lunchtime.
You’ve surprised me
One of my favourite parts of this first month has been discovering what people are actually drawn to.
The Pick & Mix wax melt bar has become such a lovely part of the shop. Fresh Off The Line has already needed restocking more times than I expected, and the little £10 flower bags have shown me that sometimes people don’t want a grand gesture they just want to take home something beautiful.
Little luxuries. Flowers on an ordinary Thursday. A familiar scent filling the house. Something lovely just because you fancied it. I’m listening carefully to what people pick up, what they come back for, what they ask me for and even what doesn’t sell.
Because although Floral Stories started as my idea, I think the loveliest businesses are shaped by the people who choose to become part of them.
More than a shop
I’ve also realised this month that Floral Stories was never really just about opening a shop. It was about creating a different life but the honest reality is I’m still figuring out what that looks like. There's been moments where I’ve tried to do far too much, and I’m learning that building something sustainable sometimes means changing the plan rather than pushing harder. So I’m allowing Floral Stories to evolve.
The opening hours may change. The flower offering will develop. Products will come and go. Ideas I thought were brilliant might turn out not to be and completely unexpected things might become favourites. That’s part of the story too.
And this is only the beginning
One month in, Floral Stories is still tiny. It’s one little shop in Crowland, filled with things made by hand, flowers gathered for the weekend and an Airbnb tucked upstairs. But I have big dreams for it.
I want Floral Stories to become a name people recognise beyond Crowland. I want our fragrances sitting in homes I’ve never visited up and down the country, workshops filled with people making something beautiful and, one day, perhaps Floral Stories appearing in places I can only imagine right now.
For the moment, though, I’m trying not to rush past this bit. Where I recognise the people coming back through the door. Where I’m learning what Floral Stories wants to become and where I occasionally look around at this little shop and remember that not very long ago, none of it existed.
So, to everyone who has visited, ordered online, booked The Farrier’s Loft, bought flowers, chosen a candle, filled a tray with wax melts, shared a post, told a friend or simply stopped to say something kind…
Thank you.
Lauren x
Floral Stories, Your stories in bloom.