As a child I grew up in a bit of a 'Good Life' household. I lived with my parents Roy and Jenny and my older brother Darren at Manston House which was an old farm on Manston Lane, they both worked at Treats but their passion was plants and flowers and with the space we had they were always growing Tulips, Dahlias and Chrysanthemums for wholesale at Leeds Market. I used to toddle about, mainly hindering everyone by pulling the heads off although as I got older I 'grew into' helping out more positively.
One day, Dad came home and announced he'd rented a shop and we were opening a Florist in Crossgates. Mum's immediate reaction was a state of panic and she almost passed out but he had faith in her and her ability. He was and still is calmness personified and he convinced Mum she'd do a fantastic job. Mum was always good with words and as the Yellow Pages was the only way to advertise at the time, it was a stroke of genius on her part that the shop was called Arts and Flowers, which would always be one of the first in the phone book.
Dad enlisted the help of an experienced florist Adrienne to teach Mum the skills of floristry and she took to it like a duck to water. In fact she was so good, Adrienne left a few months later to open her own shop in Farsley.
As the years went by me and my brother Darren just accepted the shop as part of our lives and used to go there straight from school, where inevitably we'd end up helping out. I don't think there's a family member amongst us who hasn't been dragged into the shop to do a days graft.
Over the years Arts and Flowers grew in reputation for quality and value for money. Mum went from strength to strength as a florist and gained a great reputation with her funeral tributes and wedding bouquets. She was always showing family members the tricks of the trade, I was always in the background, silently taking things in but equally determined to tread my own career path and not work in the shop. But the hours in our early teens spent in the shop did install a work ethic for both me and my brother. After leaving school Darren started his own business and I did a variety of things from packing oil to purchase ledger clerk at United News. I was very settled there, with a good salary. I helped Mum out at the shop on Saturdays but more out of a sense of duty than anything else, although I have to admit I secretly enjoyed it! Then Mums right hand woman, who was also my cousin Kim left to have baby. Mum and Dad asked if I wanted to join the shop and with a heavy heart, I agreed. So began my life as a trainee florist and general dogs-body. Apparently my Mum used to say I was a natural but I don't remember it like that, I remember struggling wondering if I would ever get the hang of it. Sometimes I used to beat myself up about it...I mean how could putting a few flowers together be so difficult? But I learnt and as I mastered each new challenge Mum always had another one lined up for me.
Having got married, my next challenge was juggling a flower shop and a new born baby! We didn't have the time or money for the luxury of maternity leave. Many regular customers will remember pushing Leah around Crossgates. Also around this time the world gave birth to another baby..the World Wide Web. And we had to move with the times, we realised this could be both a friend and an enemy. So we embraced this technology, we got ourselves out on the net and of course, in hindsight it was the right thing to do, most independent traders realise you cannot survive on footfall alone. My Mum used to say she felt like the office junior. Daughter number two, Sydney then came along and Mum made the decision to take a back seat as far as the shop was concerned and help me out with child care.
Sadly on 28th June 2005 my Mum unexpectedly passed away. She's just turned 60. Her funeral is still talked about today and even now I feel the need to thank our fellow traders and customers in Crossgates because you did her proud. For me I lost not only my Mum but a work colleague, neighbour and best friend. I also was looking to the future with a sense of dread, no one to ask for a second opinion in the shop, no one to help out with my two girls. But I found an inner determination within me, almost like she was still here in spirit urging me on.
And now eight years after Mums passing and forty years after her and Dad started the shop, we're still here, despite the gloomy economic times. My eldest daughter Leah has just started working in the shop, Mum would have loved that, the third generation to work for Arts and Flowers. She'll learn in the shop and also at college...Who knows, maybe she'll be a natural as well.
Both my parents installed in me to take pride in quality, value and good service. A customer once said you change your florist as often as your Doctor. It took me a while to understand what she meant. As a florist we get to hear about and see every situation in peoples lives just like a doctor, from birth to death, a florist shares the majority of these events, because flowers speak a thousand words and when nothing can be said in certain situations everyone accepts flowers as a gesture with good intent.
Eight years later, on December 19th 2013, sadly my Dad died suddenly, a matter of weeks after we celebrated 40 years of Arts & Flowers. My Dad was matter of fact, easy going and never let anything fluster him. I don’t ever recall him crying but when he read the article I wrote here, I think it dawned on him just how much him and Mum had achieved together and I’m sure I saw a tear in his eye.
I'd like to end my little story with a huge thank you to fantastic staff over the years, ones from the past and those from the present, a ship wont sail without a crew !
But most of all I thank you our customers because without you, we wouldn't be celebrating 40 years in business.
Five years later and we are celebrating 45 years. It would be easy to say we’ve just ticked along nicely but actually Dads parting introduced a seismic shift in both our family and business dynamic. Leah just changed over night. She came to visit Dad at the hospital for one last time but only stopped two minutes, stating ‘Grandad< wouldn’t want me here, he’d want me in that shop,’ which is where she promptly went and opened up. She went from a stroppy teenager coasting through her Business Studies course at college, reluctantly working weekends and holidays to pay her way to a mature young women with ambition and aspirations for the family business.
I was a little concerned it was a knee jerk reaction and also we’re a family who get things finished, so I insisted she complete the course and she combined it with a floristry course before coming on board full time. She’s now a Mum herself, combining the shop and family life although I would like to think her son Carter Roy spends a little less of his formative years in the shop than Leah did.
My youngest daughter Sydney has recently began working here on a weekend although her interests and studies are psychology and sociology, so I’m not sure where that would fit in the business. On the other hand, with that background, she might be tailor made!
So, we are now looking forward to the next five years. The new road which runs past our home and the nursery will mean there will be 3000 cars per hour passing as opposed to the current three. It’s not ideal but to be honest I only need to look at Leah for inspiration.
Faced with adversity after her Grandad passed away, she turned a negative into a positive and maybe we, as a business can do the same. So I guess it’s a case of watch this space as we look forward to the next five years. I’ll end this with the same words I ended the article five years ago.
Both my parents installed values in me - to take pride in quality, value and good service. A customer once said you change your florist as often as your Doctor. It took me a while to understand what she meant.
I’d like to end my little story with a huge thank you to our fantastic staff over the years, ones from the past and those from the present, a ship wont sail without a crew! But most of all I thank you - our customers because without you, we wouldn’t be celebrating 45 years in business.
As a florist we get to hear about and see every situation in peoples lives, just like a doctor, from birth to death, a florist shares the majority of these events, because flowers speak a thousand words and when nothing can be said in certain situations everyone accepts flowers as a gesture with good intent.
In March 2020, when we were told to close our doors, we were all scared for the future. I felt very strongly that we could not afford to sit around and wait to reopen - we had to be proactive. We decided to trade online and offer contactless plant deliveries. We had special offers so people could order online and pay electronically. Contactless delivery meant our customers could remain compliant while still enjoying tending to their gardens.
I’m proud to say we didn’t take a single furlough payment or government loan. Gradually, we were all back working together, which helped with everyone's wellbeing. We rode the storm with sheer grit and determination. We feel very lucky that we came out the other side much stronger.
My eldest daughter Leah is well established in the business and excelling in floristry and social media! Leah’s son, Carter Roy, is 6 and often helps us unload the flowers and plants from the Dutch truck. He tells me all the time he’s taking over when he’s big, I really do hope so! Leah’s second baby (a girl!) is on the way — hopefully another member of staff for the future!
My youngest Sydney decided early on that her career path wasn’t floristry (she always said the flower shop was too stressful and confusing!) Her aspirations were firmly in the horse world. She left Leeds to become an apprentice jockey at the young age of 17. At 21, she’s now moving into the world of equine veterinary. She’s achieved so much and we’re so proud of her.
Let’s quash the rumours that we’re closing down - definitely not! We’re heading into the future bigger and better. Our new garden centre and flower shop will be open on Manston Lane within the next 12 months. I often chat to Jen and Roy, asking for guidance. I miss them dearly but know they are guiding us every step of the way. We need “God’s little acre” as dad called it, to work better for us now we’re surrounded by the Springs, hundreds of new houses and a new railway station. It’s time. We’ll be really sad to close the doors of our very special shop in Cross Gates, but the show is definitely still going on. Thank you all for trusting us and using our services over the last 50 years.
Kirstie Lancaster-Gillson