"We wake up at a normal hour, like the majority of other humans that walk this earth. Thank goodness for the progress in technology and flower buying methods! We, however, are another breed of people – a crazy, busy and always passionate bunch that take each day as it comes", writes award-winning florist Emily Hepworth, who runs Persephone Violet in a blog at Florismart.
"The alarm sounds at 7am with an increasing ring. I throw myself out of bed for another day in the life of a florist. Each day is very different from the previous one and you just don’t know how it will go. I leave for work at 8.30am, after packing my ‘work’ bag. Which consists of what feels like a filing cabinet of paperwork and my trusty laptop that accompanies me wherever I go. The bag is always jam-packed. If ever an item is removed from the said bag it can almost be guaranteed that it’s needed that day. Getting into the shop plenty of time before it opens at 9am, I put the kettle on and gather my thoughts for the day over my first (and last!) hot cup of tea. My small and mighty team of floral elves file in. Lots happen in a short space of time to get the shop ready and open for the day.
"The front of the shop is adorned with florals – plants, bouquets, bunches line the pavement outside our brightly coloured shop. This is really important, as it makes the general public stop, chat and be encouraged to take a look at a small snippet of our flower shops offering. Our door is large and always kept open (even in the coldest of times). This provides easy access to our shop: a closed door is often a barrier to customers. Whilst it keeps the warm in, our shop has no heating so door open or closed it is a chilly space in the winter months. However, don’t worry: us florists are tough people and therefore just wear lots of layers to keep the cold at bay."