This month Sonning Flowers celebrates it’s 20th business birthday! Founded in April 2004 in Sonning, fast forward 20 years and now Sonning Flowers is a team of 12, working across Reading, Wokingham and Newbury, with 5 regional awards and 1 national award in the last 4 years.
Owner Heather, became part of the Sonning Flowers journey over a decade ago. Heather’s love for floristry started at 14 years of age after a week’s work experience at a local florist. She loved it from the moment she walked through the door and knew this is what she was destined to do.
From starting as a Saturday girl at Sonning Flowers 13 years ago, to obtaining her level 4 City & Guilds Qualification in Floristry aged 19. In 2018, Heather became the proud owner of Sonning Flowers and what an adventure it’s been.
Can anyone really prepare you for what owning and running a small business involves? It’s a rollercoaster to say the least, Heather explains. “The pandemic meant our shop doors closed temporarily and a large number of weddings and events were postponed. Some aspects of the business were put on hold, but our website became our shop front and our gift bouquet ranges flourished.
This kept us busy throughout the pandemic and it’s without a doubt why we are still standing today. I will never be able to thank our loyal customers for the continuing support they have given us, particularly through the pandemic”.
In 2021, after 10 years on the high street, Sonning Flowers moved out of Reading town centre to a countryside workshop in Kingsclere, just outside Newbury.
With so many customers shopping online and wedding couples visiting their workshop, having a high street presence no longer made sense.
Now with a head count of 12 employed staff, Sonning Flowers continues to have a strong presence across Reading and Wokingham, delivering gift bouquets across these areas, as well as being a recommended supplier for local wedding venues, providing corporate flowers to business and running lots of flower workshops at key times in the year.
Highlights in Sonning Flowers story so far include providing floral arrangements for the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show and winning National Wedding Florist of the Year in 2022 at the Wedding Industry Awards. Heather notes “this was an all-time high for me and still gives me goosebumps to this day, it’s a moment I will cherish forever.
None of this would be possible without the support and loyalty of all of our customers, wedding couples and also my fantastic team. Thank you so much for supporting us and cheers to the next 20 years.”
Sonning Flowers celebrates its 20th birthday on 12th April with lots planned to celebrate including surprise gifts for customers and a new birthday gift bouquet range, which can be viewed here www.sonningflowers.com/seasonal-range/.
For more information and to learn more about Sonning Flowers, visit our website at www.sonningflowers.com or call us on 0118 959 0301.
