Florist's move to north Derbyshire town centre takes shop back to its roots

Marie Carline will be opening her new shop at Market Place, Bolsover on Monday, March 4, just two days after shutting the door for the last time on premises at Mansfield Road, Hillstown.

She said: "The shop that I’m moving to used to be the old Scarcliffe Nurseries years ago so it’s taking Bolsover back to its roots. It will be nice to see a flower shop back in town because it hasn’t got one.”

Another factor which spurred Marie into moving her Bolsover Flowers business to the town centre was the position of the shop opposite the cenotaph. Her husband Craig is ex-RAF while the shop’s owner and his wife served in the Army before they retired. Marie said: “The cenotaph means a lot to me being a Forces family. During Remembrance I really go to town and do a nice window display out of respect.”

Marie is full of praise for her new landlord Colin Shillito and his wife Sharon. She said: “They’ve blitzed the place – painting, decorating, they’ve made it look amazing.

"I will be a little bit sad to leave Hillstown because it's where I started but I do think it's time for that change and it will definitely flourish my business being in the town centre.

"We've had quite a difficult time with Covid and prices going up, it's not been easy especially being on the outskirts but I'm still going.”

Marie, 49, has worked in floristry for 30 years and launched her own business six years ago. She said: “ There aren't many people in their 40s who think I'm going to open a flower shop. My husband said give it a go, you've been doing it for years, you've been manager of everyone's shop, do it for yourself now.”

She prides herself on creating bespoke floral arrangements and does a lot of work for Stubbins & Hope funeral directors. She said: “It’s the last thing you do for families. I advise people on different options and personalisations. I had a gentleman who loved pigeons, he must have been quite spiritual so we did gates of heaven and had some 3D pigeons which we put around the gates. For a farmer’s funeral, we did his boots with wheat coming out of them and a floral display with cauliflowers and other things he liked to grow. It’s not about picking a design out of a book – if there’s something a family want, then we will create it.”

Marie has picked one of the busiest times in a florist’s calendar to launch a new shop – in the week leading up to Mother’s Day.

But her presence will brighten up Bolsover town centre where her legendary window displays will celebrate Mothering Sunday, Easter, Christmas and Valentine’s Day