Burnley shop Florist Lancashire moves to new home in Keirby Walk

Dealing with her grief, she knew she had major decisions to make about her future. Faced with a choice of paying off her mortgage and sailing into retirement or buying a business Carol chose the latter. It was a risk in anyone’s book but now, 11 years later, Carol runs a thriving flower shop, Florist Lancashire, in Burnley.

Carol bought the former Brady’s Florist in the market hall and did a brisk trade, but custom began to fall after six years with the closure of the open market and other changes in the town centre so she moved to Fleet Walk in Charter Walk. Carol traded from there for the past five years and survived the pandemic by continuing to run her business from home and also carry out socially distanced doorstep deliveries.

She said: “When I had to close I did fear for the business but then sending flowers was a way for people to stay connected when they couldn’t see each other.”

When her five year lease ran out and she couldn’t find another unit suitable within Charter Walk Carol considered opening for business in her hometown of Blackburn. That was until she found a shop in Keirby Walk.

“It just felt right when I came to look at it and moving here has been the best thing ever, “ said Carol who, at 65, has no plans to retire anytime soon. She has invested money to refurbish the shop to her own requirements and the theme is cerise pink, a touching homage to her late mum who loved that colour.

Carol, who spent eight years working at Springwood Garden Centre in Burnley, said: “I have a lot of regular customers from Burnley, the surrounding area and all over the UK and even the world including Australia, Ireland and the Isle of Man. I have a lot of passing trade here also. “My daughter lives and shops in Blackburn and when she comes over to Burnley she says we have better shops here and also more events happening in the town centre.”