A bright future lies ahead for a self-taught Millom florist who was named the best in the UK.
Nicola Armstrong, who runs The Bloom Room, on St George’s Terrace, is continuing to climb the ladder of success after she was named UK’s Best Retail Florist at the British Flower Association Awards.
Since winning the big accolade, Nicola has been offered further opportunities in new areas such as speaking engagements at universities and demonstrator courses and said she was grateful for the background support from the British Florist Association and Good Florist Guide.
The now award-winning florist opened The Bloom Room 10 years ago and is fully self-taught with a background degree in contemporary applied art. Nicola creates floral arrangements for all occasions but is known best for her unique funeral tributes.
She said: “I’ve had a back to front journey into floristry. I’m not a trained florist, everything I’ve done is self taught. I did my art degree and I was just up in Coniston trying to look for work and the florist retired in Millom and my Dad was like, ‘you could do that’ and I said, I know a tulip, a rose and a sunflower and that was about my limit!
“I knew nothing about it, knew nothing about running a business, knew absolutely nothing. But my Dad said, ‘well the town needs a florist and you know you can make things pretty, so what have you got to lose?’ So we literally opened the doors on a whim.
“I did two days work experience at a florist in Barrow, they taught me the basics of how to price a bouquet and introduced me to the suppliers and then I opened the door and went for it totally blind. I never ever dreamt I’d be a florist. I always say floristry found me rather than the other way around. I’ve just learnt on the job really.”
Nicola credits her degree in art for inspiring her to create intricate and unique floral arrangements in the shape of owls, dartboards, roller skates, boxing gloves and more.
She added: “With having an art degree, that’s kind of where my eye came into it. I just knew if someone said they liked this picture or object that I could copy it and it was just a case of working out how to do it in flowers. Bespoke funeral tributes is kind of what I’ve got my name for, but that is on the back of being art based.
“You can buy frames for some things but I will just draw the original image transfer it to a design board and flower it. All my work is completely unique, I do everything from scratch so that’s where my art side of things has helped me more than anything else.”
During the British Flower Association Awards, Nicola said she had no idea that she would win, so she convinced those attending with her that they were only there to make up numbers.
She said: “I hand on heart thought we were bums on seats going to the awards ceremony. I thought we were just making up numbers but that it would be a really good experience and I went along so happy that we’d got to that stage and I didn’t have the tiniest slightest incling that I stood a chance to win it.
“It was absolutely bizarre and when they read out The Bloom Room as the winner we all just fell to the floor, it was so unexpected and it meant the world as from such a small place I just didn’t think I stood a chance.”
Nicola was initially nominated for the award by another industry professional and had to hit a strict list of criteria to qualify to get into the public voting round of the awards.
She said: “I really thought I didn’t stand a chance, I thought I was just wasting everyone’s time. But for Millom to get me to the point of winning, for such a small town, it shows that everyone must have backed me, which was such a nice feeling.
“To be recognised by not only my customers and the local community who voted for me, but also by industry professionals, is my most humbling and greatest achievement.”
Copeland MP Trudy Harrison also recently visited Nicola to congratulate her on her success and hear more about the business’ development.
Mrs Harrison said: “This award is an outstanding achievement for Nicola and it is thoroughly deserved. Nicola’s passion and creativity shines through and her success is testament to years of hard work and dedication to build her business and develop her craft.”
