On 15 Feb 2012 at 10:11pm ivan wrote:
Did anybody else get handed a free red rose near the bottleneck from the bloke outside the purple florist on Tuesday night around 7ish?
I was walking with my girlfriend to the pub and it made her night. Thought he was going to try and sell me one like some gypsy, but he just he said he wanted them to have a good home to go to! Bet that wouldn't happen at Tesco
On 16 Feb 2012 at 7:49am Romeo wrote:
I would be worried if I were you. A rose from a stranger made her night? or was he really a stranger?
On 16 Feb 2012 at 9:21am Ed Can Do wrote:
In other words, the guy who rus Lewesiana hugely over-ordered on roses and resorted to giving them away after trading finished? He's quite the PR man, it's only a shame that his floristry skills aren't up to much. It was a bit cheeky of him to suggest in Viva Lewes that they do the flowers for Glyndebourne as they do flowers for the house andback stage but all the dsiplays the public would ever see are done by the rather wonderful Riverside Flowers.
Still, I'm glad it put a smile on girlfriend's face.
On 16 Feb 2012 at 10:18pm Christian Hopper wrote:
Hi Ivan/all
Glad your girlfriend liked it, its a lovely feeling to give something away. Life isn't all about money -its a search for nice people and happiness, isn't it.
Thanks for your comments. Ed, why don't you be open and honest and freely admit that you are married to the lady at Riverside Flowers so people can understand your negativity and bias! I'm not going to comment on a forum like this on valued clients.
Yes, I over-ordered roses, so what! Actually we had a wonderful time with local customers, and did very well. Interflora was lower volume, mainly because the supermarkets offered better deals taking horrid cheap roses from Kenya and elsewhere, made in a factory and shipped halfway across the country to ensure they were cheap. They can make their money back on cheap chocolates or meals.
I had a choice of selling them or giving them away, and decided to give them to valued local neighbours and contract clients, and nice local customers. Its what we are about -giving something back to the community that supports us. I love people more than flowers (unlike most grumpy florists!)
Like you, we are interested in smiles from our customers, contributing positively to our community (including competing businesses), and making sure that as a customer said 'you are helping to save Lewes from becoming another Tesco town'.
People who complain about the price of flowers only have to look at the cost of a cappucino or a pint of beer or cigarettes to get things in perspective. The extra pound or two keeps local people employed and stops your High Street looking like Luton.
Anyway, I enjoy this lovely forum and wish everybody well- keep Lewes independent, beautiful, interesting and lets collaborate to succeed! Ed, Claire, why don't we go for a Harvey's sometime?
On 17 Feb 2012 at 10:41am Ed Can Do wrote:
I think you'll find that Claire isn't married and certainly not to me. I wasn't trying to be nasty, simply stating facts. Your background is management and PR and you didn't prepare any of the arrangements on display at Glyndebourne. The comment about your floristry skills being sub-par was based purely on anecdotal evidence from people who have used your services in the past.
All that aside, it is nice to do nice things and giving away the roses was a good, community spirited thing to do.
On 17 Feb 2012 at 11:34pm Christian Hopper wrote:
Hi Ed, Appreciate your candour. Richard Branson doesn't fly the planes either! \I admit my floristy skills are not the draw, I have tried to create a place and team whose skills and experience far exceed most florists outside of London and I do all the jobs that most hands on florists hate (paying bills, PR/marketing etc!)
I want the best people to do what they are best at -hence why I rarely make upo anything other than basic hand-tieds. My team have experience and awards that dwarf mine and most other Sussex florist efforts. Horses for courses.
offer of pint stands! Here's to a good Mothers Day and a Lewes that appreciates the long term benefit of keeping its independent business going (we never aimed to be millionaires, just valued and mutually valuable!). Nobody knows your name at Tescos
All the best Christian
On 18 Feb 2012 at 4:37pm Missgnomer wrote:
S reg silver mercedes parked close by? (The one usually outside the local schools).