Florist News

I know summer is a little way off yet but somethings been on my mind for a while and I was wondering if any of you had a good solution to a problem for me.
This year we are supposed to be having the hottest summer on record, last year was bad enough! I've got a tiny shop & small upstairs work area so def no room for a cooler, i've got portable fans and a little portable air con thing, i've decided to buy little and often every day if I can, I may have just answered my own question but if anyones got any better ideas i'd be interested to hear them.

Elaine..
I've got full air con in the shop but i haven't used it for years, simply because i've got a large coldroom and putting everything away at night kepps me fit (and knackered!) Also haven't got room to leave stuff in the shop as the front show has to come in and that's where it all goes. However...if i didn't have the cold room..i would make use of the air conditioning. The small portable things won't be much use to you as you've got to pull the temperature down quite a bit and they just won't cope with it. You would need a compressor unit outside somewhere with your fans inside. You would definitely be able to keep the shop cool at night. When i turned it on a few summers ago and kept the front doors closed the difference was quite dramatic compared to the temp outside. Trouble is. people think you are closed for the day, so you need a big "Air Conditioned" sign on your door. If you don't want to spend a fortune (and i'm sure you don't!) start asking around for someone who works with refrigeration/air con. When these firms replace units for large companies, the units are only a few years old but they still throw them away. I dare say one of the installers would be quite happy to fit one of these,on a weekend, just charging you for the labour and the gas. I certainly couldn't operate without some sort of cooling. It extends the life of the flowers considerably, or conversely, they don't die as quick! If you go down the road of holding minimal stock and just ordering what you need to cover orders, you will forever be turning busines away and will find it harder to build up a healthy trade. People love to see a good show, but you can only provide that if you can a: sell it quick, or b: look after it.

hello again elaine. I looked into purchasing a cooler when I moved to my bigger shop-im hoping to be able to purchase one in the next year. Im looking at the glass display units for the shop they can squeeze in the smallest of spaces you know and the normal units with the steel doors can be sited outside aswell.
I do as you've said buy little and often when its hot weather, change the water everyday and i think thats all you can do really. Sales of flowers go down when its really hot anyway, its usually the last thing people want to buy. So apart from the weddings if its a hot summer im expecting it to be a bit quiet then usual.
Jo

Thanks for all your advice, unfortunately there's no room for an air con system as the shop is 300 years old with a very low beamed ceiling and no where to fix anything externally.
I am toying with another idea, actually its something else i'd like to run by you all for advice, we currently have a great location on the main shopping street but the shop is tiny about 300 square foot, we are in year two and already at full capacity for busy periods every spare inch is used (even the toilet seat!! ) the rent and rates are really high £20k a year we are covering all bills but its not always easy and i'm wondering if i should move to a bigger shop in not so good a location and do more silk, gifts etc to fill the extra space, has anyone else done this?

Hi Elaine
I've got the same problem, small shop, tiny room out back, with heatwave coming soon, my only solution I think is to turn my small back room into a cooler, trying to get door across it and then pop flowers into it at night, or go for aircon and close shop door, with large sign on door like fly2hi said SHOP OPEN. been wracking my brain over this one, as only bought shop last August, but need something in here, it's like an oven. Sally

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Hi Elaine,
I might be tempted to wait a while before moving on, specially as you have only been there a couple of years. Is there anywhere nearby with a lock up unit/garage you could rent on a short term basis to store stuff you don't need everyday? We have a 'shed' that we use to store stuff and at busy times we use it to store the extra flowers until we need them. We can't have 'real' air con in our shop either but I have got one of those portable jobs which is better than nothing but we did have to have a hole drilled in the wall to vent it.

Breezy

It may sound silly but if you get the sun on your shop front all day, a blind/canopy can help. But they are prciey too (for a proper one) probably just as much as air con.

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Sarah Creating Bespoke Wedding Flowers Cheshire

we tried fans etc but found air conditioning the best we don't have room for cooler so air cond was best option and yes it does work but again door must be closed

Sosas, you just hit on one of the most important considerations when looking for a shop....does it get the sun?

Yes unfortunately the shop I'm in does get the sun making it difficult for window displays during summer we cannot put any fresh flowers or plants in window and spend more time than we would like outside watering but to maintain stock we have to do it so it is a big drawback. Our window display during summer is vases with coloured water or gel or a display of pottery/plant pots etc or teddies or sand arrangements if it wasn't for the display outside we would look more like a gift shop