Arranging a beautiful bouquet at her thriving Thistle Street store, veteran Aberdeen florist Kirsty Thomson appears to have plenty reasons to be cheerful.
It’s a sunny September day when I visit, and business is going well.
What’s more, our recent study found that Thistle Street is Aberdeen’s most independent shopping area.
Traders like Kirsty account for a whopping 90% of the units in the west end lane.
But a few months ago, things weren’t exactly a bed of roses.
And now, for the first time, she has broken her silence on her decision to shut up her Schoolhill unit in a part of the city centre decidedly less thriving.
The “sad decision” came after 30 years trading from the spot.
Why did Kirsty close Flower Vogue on Schoolhill?
Although Kirsty still has her shop on Thistle Street, she was forced to make the decision to close her one on Schoolhill at the end of April.
She explains how the pedestrianisation scheme there made it “very difficult” for her to continue business on this street.
Kirsty said: “Because of Aberdeen City Council shutting the road we had to move out…
“They just killed Schoolhill by pedestrianising it and shutting it off.
“It absolutely killed it.”
Last January, the street was closed off to general traffic between the junctions with Back Wynd and Flourmill Lane.
As a result, people could no longer drive their cars through this area of the city.
And that had major implications for a business like Flower Vogue.
Kirsty added: “Aberdeen City Council had made the whole road pedestrianised and you cannot run a florist on a pedestrianised road.
“Our van needs to get in, and customers couldn’t stop and collect their bouquets any more.
“It just wasn’t working having a shop in Schoolhill, with people not being able to stop and collect… And I couldn’t even get my van to the door.”
Could business survive loss of main branch?
The decision to shutter the unit was not an easy one, though.
Kirsty explains: “It put a lot of pressure on the business having to shut Schoolhill.
“We were absolutely fine, up until last year the shop was very busy on Schoolhill, but when people order flowers they don’t want to carry them and walk with them.”
She adds: “They want to stop their car at the door, come in, pick them up and go.
“It was all very confusing I felt, and going downtown, people just weren’t sure how they were supposed to get past or go to places like the Marks and Spencer car collect.
“It just put people off from taking their cars and from coming into town.”
Is council to blame for Schoolhill demise?
Kirsty believes if the council hadn’t made this move Schoolhill would still be “quite a vibrant place.”
This comes as research by the Press and Journal discovered that this street has the highest vacancy rate in Aberdeen.
Of its 22 units, 10 are currently closed.
And Flower Vogue was not the only shop to call it a day…
Kirsty said: “A lot of businesses were impacted and there was a cake shop that had to close as well.”
Victoria Mutch, who runs Style for Your Shape a few doors down, previously told us of her struggles since the changes came into effect.
How is the Flower Vogue doing without Schoolhill site?
As Flower Vogue is well established, having traded since 1970, Kirsty found that customers did follow them to their store on Thistle Street.
Having now been there for over 10 years, a relieved Kirsty tells me business has been good.
“We are very busy, we are doing fine,” she explains as she banishes any thought of the troubled period.
And Thistle Street has provided a “nice working environment and community” for Flower Vogue to continue to flourish.
This location now works in favour of the florist because customers can “stop at the door to collect their bouquets”.
Kirsty concluded: “It’s a very nice street to work on. Its a lovely area and everybody gets on well.”
What does the council have to say about Schoolhill?
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman stressed that there are two public car parks (at the Bon Accord Centre and Gallowgate) which people can use to visit Schoolhill.
She also pointed out: “There are double yellow lines in that area.”
And the spokeswoman explained that loading is permitted for local businesses after 4.30pm and before 11am each day.
And the authority has stressed that the “transport improvements” are all part of a multi-million-pound masterplan to reinvigorate the city centre.
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