Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

A selfless community spirit has helped Carolyn’s shops flourish

Carolyn Wilson at her florist and gift shop, Victoriana, in Alness. Picture by Sandy McCook
Carolyn Wilson at her florist and gift shop, Victoriana, in Alness. Picture by Sandy McCook

Each week, we ask small businesses key questions. Here we speak to to Carolyn Wilson, owner of Victoriana Florist & Gifts and three other shops in Alness.

How and why did you start in business?

I have lived in Alness most of my life. Thirty-one years ago, living on our farm at Dalmore and with young children to raise, I looked for an additional source of family income and opted for a farm shop. Starting with £400 of stock, the business soon grew and I decided to move to Alness High Street and open Victoriana.

How did you get to where you are today?

The Alness of those days was very different to today. The closure of the Invergordon aluminium smelter in the early 1980s resulted in 890 job losses and hit the town very hard. When Victoriana opened the town and its high street were in the doldrums.

I care passionately about my community and it was obvious that we had to act to save Alness for everyone’s benefit. I was delighted to join other businesses, the community as a whole and public agencies in a bid to turn things around. It worked and over the years, led by the business community, we have transformed our high street into a great place to shop, socialise, enjoy special events, and relax.

We’ve won numerous confidence-building accolades along the way – Britain in Bloom and the Scottish high street of the year 2018 – as well as regeneration and environmental improvement awards.

As the High Street as a whole has become more vibrant, so have its individual businesses and the success has helped everyone, not least me.

Today, with the support of countless loyal customers, I own four shops – Victoriana Florist & Gifts, Victoriana Clothing & Accessories, Victoriana Shoe Room and The Larder delicatessen.

It has not been easy, but with hard work and enthusiasm I have overcome the challenges.

Who helped you?

I would have achieved nothing without the incredible commitment and loyalty of my amazing staff, a really talented group of people that includes my daughters, Katie and Jennie.

The Federation of Small Businesses is always there to provide cost-effective services, and to discuss issues and give sound advice.

What has been your biggest mistake?

No big mistakes but things that could be done better, and I enjoy being reminded I am not always right.

Buying in goods to sell is the riskiest activity, and sometimes so-called sure-fire hits turn out to be duds, still sitting on shelves months later.

What is your greatest achievement?

Being part of the award-winning community team that continues to transform Alness.

If you were in power in government, what would you change?

I would introduce a national policy to ensure that parking remains free in small towns and rural communities. Free parking is essential to sustaining vibrant retail environments and, as a Highland councillor, I am doing all I can to help maintain it in Alness.

What do you still hope to achieve?

I feel very content that my business is now on a sound footing, although I am always looking for improvements and opportunities.

The younger generation have lots of good ideas and I want to encourage them to see these implemented

What do you do to relax?

I never really relax or sit still for long, but love being in my garden and greenhouse, spending time with my six grandchildren and baking.

What are you currently reading, listening to or glued to on the TV?

I love all kinds of music, but traditional Scottish in particular. Also good brass or military bands, and church music played well on the organ.

My reading tends to be limited to monthly trade magazines as I scan them for new trends and exciting new products.

What do you waste your money on?

Every penny is a prisoner as far as I’m concerned, although I think most folk would say I’m generous with what I have.

How would your friends describe you?

Hard-working, focused and committed.

What would your enemies say about you?

Impatient, jumps too quickly to conclusions and doesn’t spend enough time listening.

What do you drive and dream of driving?

I drive an eight-year-old Volvo XC60, which I love too much to replace. I have no dream cars.