Kerry Wilkinson had always wanted to be a florist ever since, aged just 11, she first worked in a local flower shop during her school holidays. 19 years on and Kerry is fulfilling her ambition with her successful and stylish shop, Tineke Floral Designs, thriving in the picturesque town of Matlock, Derbyshire………..

…….Tineke has been open for business for six years now and in that time the shop has built a fantastic reputation in the world of weddings. You only have to log onto Kerry’s website, (www.tinekefloraldesigns.co.uk) to see what an amazing job the business is doing, with Kerry saying that the growth of the business has been amazing…………

“I’m so happy with how it has progressed. I’ve gone from working in a garden shed, then to a lock up unit and finally to our gorgeous flower shop today.

“When I left school I tried A-Levels, but they just bored me! So I went to college to gain my BTEC diploma in floristry. After that, it started with doing family and friend’s weddings and, as word got around, I got busier and busier. And so Tineke was born!”

…….The shop today is classically simple, with Kerry explaining: “We just wanted to keep the décor simple, and let the quality of the flowers and range speak for themselves.”

The shop looks and feels luxurious and chic, with a neutral palate of creams and duck egg blue. The use of wallpaper adds that stylish quality and this is reflected in all other areas of Kerry’s work…………

…………Interestingly, the shop’s style is very much in keeping with the white hybrid tea rose called Tineke that provided the inspiration for the shop’s name. Kerry loves white roses, so Tineke seemed a fitting name………

…….Kerry has developed her vision for Tineke into more than just a florist, but into a customer’s retail dream. The shop does so much more than sell flowers: it sells customers an image and a lifestyle, one that appeals to a lot of people……..

………….everything from branding to business cards is up to the highest of standards, whilst the company has also featured in Save the Date, a wedding magazine for the East Midlands. A photo shoot in the magazine featuring Kerry’s designs not only showcases her work, but markets the fact that this is a business that, once again, does so much more than flowers. Kerry is also part of a competition in the magazine, again circulating Tineke’s name as much as possible. Competitions are a great way to get customers interested, after all, who doesn’t like a chance to win? Especially when it comes to weddings in the current economic climate……..

In addition, Tineke has recently joined the website www.notonthehighstreet.com, with an editorial on this included in Save the Date. The website acts as a market place for small independent businesses to get their products out there to a wider audience, a great idea for florists……….

…..As mentioned earlier, Kerry has recently had the front of the shop redone, with a new wedding consultation area also included. As seen in the pictures, the improvements are impressive, creating a chic boutique space for brides to come and talk about their wedding flowers. …..

Kerry says that she is already nearly fully booked for weddings for 2012 “We have weddings all over the place, but usually the brides are local. Our brides span the country and further, but they usually book us based on local recommendations.”

A couple of years ago, Kerry and her team – which includes John and Shaun who mainly help with wedding work and venue set up, Jackie who helps with everyday floristry, and then Astra, Steph and Rachel who all help with the shop and wedding consultations – were asked to supply a bouquet and a table design for Wedding Flowers Magazine, with Kerry exclaiming: “How exciting!” It’s things like this that will get you noticed.

As for Kerry’s favourite wedding: “I loved one we had back in July as there was an abundance of stocks, which are my favourite flower. We were surrounded by 1600 stems!”

Looking forward, Kerry plans to open a shop in Cheshire, and with an exciting year ahead of her, we can learn a lot from Kerry…….