Recognising her creative nature, Keeley’s dad suggested she try floristry when she was just 12. A stint as a Saturday girl and four years of training led her into the business. She now runs her own shop in Essex and delights in delivering gorgeous flowers and customer satisfaction.
The satisfaction on the customer side is my favourite part of the job. When we do something good. We do a lot of funerals and when they come in they’re really upset but once they’ve done it, they feel better. No disrespect to some of the other florists but some of them aren’t qualified and I feel sorry for the customer because some of the arrangements look dreadful and it really upsets me. Making people happy is great, I love weddings too. I thrive on customer satisfaction.
It was always my dream to get into the Good Florist Guide, all I ever wanted to do and I cried when I did! Being a member of GFG really helps. When I got it in the local paper I got so much feedback, people coming up and saying “you’re the ones in the paper!”. They think I’ve won an award which I have in a way. I want to stand out from the rest and being in the GFG really helps with that.
My bank of flowers in the shop is important and I’m a bit OCD about how it looks! The customer needs to be able to see what you’ve got and for it to look great. If it’s all messy it won’t attract anyone. And I do a lovely big front display outside. My Saturday girl has been pushing me to do Instagram to attract the younger generation. I’ve got a lot more followers now, bless her.
