It's not all rosy in the flower business
Valentine's month is bloom time, but things remain thorny in this wilting economy
This week will be Bongiwe Moeli's first Valentine's Day as the owner of Cottage Flowers in Hyde Park Corner - the business she bought in April last year. Moeli worked in media for nearly 20 years, but wanted a change. "I was finished; it was very demanding," she says. "I had no life, really." She took some time to figure out what she wanted to do, a kind of sabbatical. "I think it was a month after [she'd left her job] that I just locked eyes with a lily in the kitchen at home . and that was it. Flowers for me are not a pretentious thing, they're just part of life. I suppose that's always inspired me." Moeli started in her kitchen, sending flowers to friends for feedback. She trained as a florist and expanded to work from a cottage. Cottage Flowers, meanwhile, is 50 years old this year and is something of an institution in the centre. Though Moeli was looking at other stores and formats, it's the shop she really wanted. "If you want to be a serious player either you own your own bus...
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