60 Years Young
The internet loves a ‘Throw Back Thursday’ and a couple of posts on my (many) social media feeds got me thinking about what Flowers by Nattrass could post to join in.
It turns out it’s hard to fit our story into 140 characters but when I started typing I found it hard to stop. So, I’ve had to share it here instead.
I am sure you are not going to be fooled that every significant event happened on a Thursday, that would be too convenient for this post, but I have picked out a few Thursday’s from over the (many) years to share with you.
Throwback to Thursday 5th February 1959
Ronnie and Dorothy Nattrass (Mr & Mrs. N) had been running Flowers by Nattrass for 4 days. It was the ‘scary’ beginnings. They took a grand old total of 7 pounds 14 shillings and 6 pence that week.
Throwback to Thursday 11th April 1985
Okay, so I am guessing on the exact date here, but this was the year Sally Nattrass (Mr & Mrs. N’s daughter) and her (to be) husband Mark Bennett started working for Flowers by Nattrass.
Sally was awarded her ICSF this year & started competing at the highest level of floristry. It seems floristry ran in the family. It only took her 4 more years to gain her NDSF.
Throwback to Thursday 7th July 2005
Sally and Mark had been running Flowers by Nattrass for a couple of years. While Mr & Mrs. N were having a quiet retirement making sure everything was still running smoothly in the three shops and garden centre.
This was the month that Mark & Sally (with business partner & technology guru, Steve) started our sister company Strelitzia Software. Strelitzia was soon to become the UK's leading software for florists.
Throwback to Thursday 6th September 2012
This was an emotional day. On Friday 7th September 2012 day we closed the door to our West Row shop after nearly two decades of trading. We had decided to focus on our specialities of Wedding & Events.
Throwback to Thursday 30th August 2018
Katie Bennett, eldest Granddaughter of Mr & Mrs. N had joined the business a few years ago. She is following in Mr. Ns & Sally footsteps and is a first-class florist and chief organiser of our team back at HQ during busy periods; Katie makes sure all Mums have beautiful blooms on Mother's Day and your better halves are happy on Valentines. Floristry really does run in the family.
I can think of a few insults for the Bennett’s but followers of the crowd are not one of them. However, in August of 2018, I did exactly that and joined the businesses. I am Amy, youngest Granddaughter of Mr & Mrs. N. I work mainly for Strelitzia Software but I help out on the management & marketing side of Flowers by Nattrass. I also talk to brides about how we can help them create their vision for their big day.
Today, Thursday 23rd May 2019
60 years of trading a family business, 3 generations of the family. That’s pretty special. But I want to pause here to highlight that we could never have done this alone. We have always had a fabulous team behind us. I can't mention them all by name but notably, Nancy Simpson & Brian Taylor have worked for Flowers by Nattrass for over 50 years. They are both happily retired and keep in touch.
Our Current Team
Gillian is our shop manager who has been working with us for 20 years and she runs the shop and the team day to day. Hayley and Deborah have been working with us for 19 and 13 years respectively, Lynsey, our driver, started over 5 years ago and our 'newest' team members, Kate and Venessa, started over 4 years ago. This team make all the bouquets, weddings, funeral and events possible with their floristry skills. Every team member is of NVQ level 3 or higher.
So, that’s our little story. Way more than 140 characters and but I hope you have enjoyed. Not a bad legacy for Mr & Mrs N hey!
