A red telephone box on King Street, Twickenham, has sprung back into life as a flower shop – in time for the unprecedented May heatwave.
Anna Ceislak opened the red door to her store ‘Forget Me Not: Anna Flowers’ last week after selling flowers online for the past few weeks.
After finding most of her customers on Facebook groups for Polish communities in London, she now enjoys arranging colourful bouquets in-person from a small studio inside the box itself.
Anna said: “Yesterday was Mothers’ Day in Poland, so that was a big day!”
After the long waiting list to hire a disused telephone box, she is now enjoying the reactions from passers-by.
“People say ‘Oh, it’s sweet’ or ‘That’s cute’,” she added.
The K6 telephone box – a listed 1935 ‘Jubilee’ kiosk commissioned for the Silver Jubilee of the coronation of King George V, has previously housed a miniature coffee shop.
As a listed structure, its outside cannot be changed from the original classic red, so Anna’s flowers surround it on the pavement giving a splash of colour to King Street.
The unprecedented May heatwave has proved to be a challenge for Anna, who has had to adjust her opening hours around the 35C highs to suit the foot traffic, even staying open late in the cooler evenings.
“This weekend was very hot, but today is a bit better,” she said from the shade of the kiosk.
She plans to stay in this location for at least another week, and hopes to use the following she builds to open in a new high street premises.
Anna added: “I want to open a big flower shop in Twickenham – I have a plan!”
You can find Forget Me Not: Anna Flowers at the junction of Water Lane and King Street.
Featured Image Credit: Louis Greaves
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