Florist Paul Furness is one of the best known customer faces at New Covent Garden Flower Market, visiting several traders on almost a daily basis to procure fresh flowers for his floristry business

Based in London’s Seven Sisters - described by Paul as ‘a hub of eclectic independent businesses’ - his Petal to the Metal business is an independent contracts and event florist, with two full-time staff and two freelancers. They specialise in creating ‘bright, bold and beautiful flower designs with love, passion, a strong hand and a fine eye for the final details.’ And the process starts at 4am each day, right here in Nine Elms.

"I love early mornings when I’m visiting the Flower Market and buying the best of the season’s flowers and foliage,” says Paul. “As a florist, there’s no substitute for visiting New Covent Garden Market in person and enveloping yourself in the huge assortment – it is essential to what I do. You can start to create with your eyes, feel, touch and see the colours first hand. During an average week, me and the team will visit three or four times. During a busy period, like the run up to Christmas, we’ll be there every day. Yes, you can buy from the Dutch direct but all you’re seeing when you order is a stock image on a website. I’d describe it as similar to the difference between eating in your favourite restaurant and ordering a Deliveroo – I need to see what will make a display ‘pop’ and being at the Market means I can switch up my orders and makes it easier to work within a budget.”

Career switch

Paul has been a florist for more than 20 years, however he started his career in publishing and magazines, before making the seemingly radical switch to the flower game after completing a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in floristry. “I’d been working in the media, living my best 1990s life. It was a strange move to become a florist, as I’d grown up in the North without a garden, but I’d always loved flowers. And it changed my life,” he says.”

Working for an independent florist for his first five years in a managerial role, Paul got busy learning and soaking up knowledge. That laid the foundations for his next step forward.

“I’d always yearned to start my own business from scratch, so I finally took the plunge to follow my dream,” says Paul. “I started in 2015, offering contracts rather than retail, with weekly deliveries to clients and special creations for one-off events. That was a powerful move for me to make but also terrifying! I was 43 and I really had to push myself, as the first three years of the business were very stressful. In your 40s you’re much more switched on but you’re also more fearful and I suffered from imposter syndrome. But I learned to know my own strengths and take my own lane. My proudest moment was seeing my first van with our logo on it.”

Pandemic challenge

After a few years as a growing independent business, Paul faced his first major challenge when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the hospitality industry in 2020. “I had to change to survive after the hard times faced by the entire flower industry during the pandemic,” he explains. “I could see how much the floristry business had changed over the past 10 years and Covid was a fork in the road that accelerated how people reacted to those changes.

“Before Covid I’d had my best golden quarter [October to December] and that gave me a financial buffer when everything locked down. Many florists had to be agile and try different things, but I just kept my head down and rode out the lockdown, keeping my nerve and thankfully, I got through it. When we reopened, my clients stood by me, so I was fortunate to keep my connections. I couldn’t have what I have and do what I do without all the great relationships I have with traders in the Flower Market.”

Paul describes working with his clients as ‘a collaborative process’ and that’s where Petal to the Metal excels. “I’ve acquired my client base in lots of different ways: via word of mouth, through introductions, and by visiting and showing potential clients what we can offer them. The business has grown organically and that’s really helped us - we’ve expanded at a steady pace. When our clients are looking for a unique look or have a specific budget, we know what can work, and that comes from frequently visiting the Flower Market,” he says.”

What’s the most important part of running a successful contract floristry business? After a reflective pause, Paul says ‘keeping things current’ is key. “I acknowledge what’s trending, but the flower world is constantly changing and moving. For Petal to the Metal, it’s about ensuring we remain creatively versatile and keep things simple. Each of our clients is very varied in what they’re looking for - we have a central line that we offer and then we bend and re-shape that offer depending on what the client calls for.”

Online style

With platforms like TikTok accelerating style and taste changes more rapidly than ever, every florist will tell you that a strong online presence is vital. “As we don’t have a physical retail shop, our Instagram and website becomes our ‘shop window’ to show what we can do,” says Paul, who had just finished a photoshoot in the Flower Market that will be an integral part of a website refresh.

“I’m inspired by my peers and enjoy the varied approaches to design. From the classics like Simon Lycett and Paul Thomas to the eternally beautiful and natural style of Scarlett and Violet and the more recent creative shifts from Worm London and Hamish Powell.”

Trusting relationship

With two decades of visits to the Flower Market under his belt, Paul acknowledges New Covent Garden has been a great place to learn his trade. “I’ve picked up so much knowledge from all the Flower Market wholesalers over the years, and I’m happy to say it’s a reciprocal process. As professional florists, we give really valuable feedback as to how long certain flowers have lasted and it’s a very trusting relationship.

“I speak with a lot of florist colleagues, and everyone agrees that a visit to New Covent Garden is the best part of our day. You can meet up with your friends and we all chat and gossip together - we know the traders so well that it feels like home. Once you leave the Market you’re back into the real business world and our days can be very long. The flower industry is a huge eco-system and everyone is very supportive, despite the fact we’re competing against each other for trade.”

Community of love

When the Market’s ongoing redevelopment project reaches its conclusion in 2027, the Flower Market will move to its new – and final – location. Paul is convinced the Market’s wholesalers will continue to be a huge part of the floristry community. “To be able to visit the Flower Market each week and see the seasons changing is a wonderful thing,” says Paul. “I’ve visited flower markets in other countries, where they are mostly for trade people working in the flower business and not generally open to the public. Although I’m not a fan of non-trade customers using the Market, I do understand they can be valuable to many businesses. Flowers are a luxury item, so people who invest in flowers do so because they love it.

“You cultivate people’s emotions with displays of flowers and that is why they’re so important to so many people. I’d describe London as fast, international and full of opportunity, so it’s great that the Market will continue to support florists wherever they’re based.”