An Aintree businessman's "dream" became a reality after opening his own flower shop - and it's so successful, he had a second store in 12 months.
Gary Linney is the founder and floral director of Flower Guy Florist, which has stores in Bootle and Maghull. The Bootle shop has recently celebrated its second birthday and has amassed a loyal customer base.
The 32-year-old "always had a passion for flowers" and trained at Hugh Baird College in Bootle before making his "dream a reality" with the launch of his own business.
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Flower Guy Florist first opened in 2020, after Gary Linney had been working and earning his stripes in the industry for more than seven years.
Speaking to the ECHO, he said: "I have always had a passion for flowers, flower arranging and gardening which led me to train with Hugh Baird College. As a child, I was always out gardening and bringing home miniature bouquets. My dream is now my reality."
The business offers floral arrangements for all occasions and specialises in everyday bouquets, tributes and weddings, as well as supplies for other events and installations.
Flower Guy Florist offers a seasonal selection of garden and houseplants, with fresh and dried arrangements available to snap up all year. The team can also accommodate event styling and offers arrangements for hire, centre-pieces and floral props.
Running the business has been rewarding for Gary, with one aspect in particular proving to be a highlight.
He continued: "The most rewarding experience of running my own business is undoubtedly the support of our business from the people of Liverpool.
"We have been so fortunate, even through the pandemic to open a second shop due to our customer demand, this [in] turn has created job and training opportunities for our staff, and our local community.
"Our friends and family are exceptionally supporting, offering as a driver, telephonist, and good coffee maker during the busier events. We are so lucky to have our friends and family to stand by us."
Like the majority of businesses, Flower Guy Florist wasn't immune to the far-reaching effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which has in some instances led to the permanent closure of independent shops, businesses, restaurants and more.
For Gary and the small team of three senior florists and one trainee, they didn't know if the business would survive.
Gary said: "The biggest shock of all would be closing the doors due to Covid-19 [and] not knowing if our business would actually workout - after all, we had only been open for 12 weeks.
"We ploughed through and changed our way of thinking and after an initial six week closure, we were allowed to partially reopen behind closed doors offering a doorstep delivery service. This enabled us to pass well wishes to loved ones who couldn’t get the opportunity to visit. This turned out to be one of the most positive outcomes of the time."
The business continues to thrive to this day. Within its first year, Flower Guy Florist was nominated for a British Florist Association Retail Florist Shop of the Year award and made it to the top 10 across the UK.
Gary added: "We have been fortunate to grow our business beyond our floral dreams, opening a second shop within 12 months was just crazy, but definitely exciting.
"We are hoping to expand our business further in the future - who knows, a garden centre one day?"
Flower Guy Florist can be found on Facebook here, and on Instagram here.
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