A strong mum and daughter team with a keen eye for detail and flair for showstopping centrepieces are behind this hidden gem of florist.
Barbara Yates opened Flower Design on North Street in Ripon 35 years ago with the help of her young daughter, now Sarah Moore.
The pair may have been in the same spot for all those years but people are still stumbling across their shop, whether in person or online.
Over the years the business has changed. Since leaving the Interflora florist scheme, they say they have been able to design bouquets that are unique.
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Weddings have been a big part of Flower Design in recent years. The florist, in an ordinary year, would supply flowers for around 70 weddings.
That side of the business has been decimated in 2020, but the sales of house plants and wreaths have flourished.
Sarah Moore told the Stray Ferret what has kept her happy in the shop after more than three decades:
“It is the look on people’s faces actually. The feedback you get from people when they see the flowers, that’s a really big thing.
“You will find us on wedding days working as early 3am , it is a lot of work. We have to do a lot of prep work and we have to make the arches in situ.
“It can difficult living up to the expectations of brides but we enjoy it because it makes everything different.
“We have our differences as a mum and daughter team but we are lucky because we do gel quite well and we have our separate areas.”
While Sarah’s mum Barbara started the business 35 years ago she has another 25 years of experience under her belt. She added:
“It always need to be cold in here but people always come in and say how lovely the flowers smell. We can’t smell much because we’re used to it though.
“People say they can smell it down the road when we have the doors open in the summer. That’s how some find our shop.”
This is part of the Stray Ferret’s ‘hidden gem’ series, highlighting small, independent businesses. They need to be tucked away but growing in popularity with an eye-catching and unique product or approach. Send us an email with your nominations.
