Abbey Florists holding special event at Doagh Road shop to mark 30 years in business
A family-owned florists in Newtownabbey has proved that business is still blooming after 30 years.
Abbey Florists is due to celebrate the milestone on November 15 with an event at their Doagh Road shop from 11am-6pm.
In its current location since the early 2000s, the business is run by the Breen family, with mum Liz and daughters Joanne, Gillian and Laura all involved.
First established by her father Ricky and grandad Jimmy, Gillian told of how the shop was one of the few small businesses to flourish during the pandemic. “We would have contracts with 13 local funeral directors, and that allowed us to stay open during Covid,” she said.
Social media, too has played a positive role in the business, with the shop running a special giveaway of bouquets through its Facebook page during the month of November.
Abbey Florists has had a few well-known customers over the years, having made bouquets and floral arrangements for Van Morrison, James Nesbitt, Julie Walters, and Hilary Clinton.
They also provided flowers for the visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla to Northern Ireland, as well as a floral crown to mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth in 2022.
The anniversary milestone comes during a difficult year for the family, who had originally planned to mark the occasion with a fundraising gala in the Europa Hotel.
“On the 20th April, Joanne suffered a stroke, and we weren’t sure if the gala was going to go ahead. On 16th July we announced to customers that it would be, but the following day my husband Syd had a brain haemorrhage,” said Gillian. “He passed away on the 23rd July, so there was no question that the charity event just wasn’t going to happen.”
Despite the tragic circumstances of the past few months, the family nevertheless decided to hold a smaller event to mark the anniversary, with the hope of holding the fundraiser at a later date. “This shop is like a second home to us and the kindness of our customers has been amazing, so we just wanted to do something for them,” Gillian added.