When Little White Box announced they were moving on from their shop in Coggeshall, the reaction was one of sadness and also slight nervousness for what would replace them. It is a beautiful shop in a great location and with the loss of other retail businesses over recent years, it was a shame to see Little White Box go. However, the space has been filled with a collaboration of businesses in the form of Jade’s Flower Design, Oakley’s florists and Bakealicious.
This trio has identified that thanks to the existing two bridal shops, they can create a service perfect for brides. Even better, with a number of wedding venues and lovely churches, couples could organise the whole of their wedding just using what we have in Coggeshall!
None of these three businesses is new to Coggeshall. Jade’s Flower Design has been going for a number of years and provides an amazing service for parties, events and weddings. Bakealicious is another local small business that was run from home and sees Jan, who owns it, create delicious and stunning cakes. Oakley’s, a florist, on the other hand, was a more recent addition to Coggeshall. Owned by Ashley North, she set up Oakley’s on Bridge Street earlier this year. Having previously lived in Coggeshall, she moved away following the death of her son, but returned when it felt like the right time to come back. The shop’s name came from her son, Oakley, who tragically died at just 4 weeks old.
Ashley felt like Coggeshall was her home and wanted to set up her florists here thanks to the amazing community. It was a bit of a leap of faith, being the first shop she had run herself, but when the chance came to move to Market Hill, she knew it was the right decision and had to go for it. She loves everything Coggeshall has to offer and is keen to get involved in local events.
At Coggeshall Christmas she will have the shop open and will be serving mulled wine and mince pies. Ashley is also looking ahead to 2020 to see what more can be done with the space. Workshops and classes expect to be a feature so keep an eye out or pop in to have a chat with Ashley and enjoy the beautiful flowers!