About a month ago Gemma got in touch to tell me about her exciting news, which I can now share! But first I'll give you a back story to paint the picture...
Gemma’s mother, Catherine, believe it or not, started The Topiary Tree, floristry business 35 years ago. It began with Catherine selling dried flowers on the end of a market stall she worked on. This progressed and she opened her first shop on Saville Street in Malton. Gemma loved helping her mum and had a growing interest in the floristry trade, so she went off to Askham Bryan College, to train as a florist.
Following in her mother footsteps, they took on an extra shop in Helmsley where Gemma’s career began to flourish. At 18 years old she was running her own shop.
After a successful time in Helmsley they decided to drop down to the one shop for one reason or another, together deciding on Malton as the best location.
It's here on Finkle Street in Malton that The Topiary Tree has been for as long as I can remember. Over more recent years, Gemma's mother has lessened her ties to the business and Gemma has made it her own, taking on her own Apprentice, Ellie just two years ago.
So back to the initial exciting news, Gemma was given the chance to take on the shop next door, moving from 9 Finkle Street (where they'd been for a staggering 26 years) to 11 Finkle Street. After securing the deal literally hours before she was due to open the other week, Gemma has made to most incredible transformation of the shop along with her little team of four, Herself, Catherine, Jane and Ellie.
Her new establishment offers so many more opportunities for Gemma and her business, she's brimming with ideas, not only has it given her more space to prepare and store her worldly business goods it's given her an outdoor space too.
At the moment, I don't have any photos of this area, because it's a secret! I've just heard about Gemma's plans for it. This little courtyard at the back offers nearly as much room as the shop does downstairs and it's here where Gemma is planning to launch and sell more garden pots, obelisks and other decorative items you might like to put in your garden. I imagine it to look like a mini outdoor Aladin's Cave, because everything this lady does looks so good.
Gemma also has plans to be able to offer smaller workshops upstairs in the future and possibly even let other creatives use the space to host their own workshops too. This little business is one to watch over the next few months, there are amazing things in the pipeline to come.
I also know that all of her wreath making workshops are nearly fully booked, so if you want to do one, get in touch with her as soon as you can. Here's a few piccies to inspire you... ❤️
Photos by Anoif Photography. I love photographing small businesses and hearing about their progression and development. I have no 2022 availability but if you can wait and would love a blog like this, please get in touch!