A beautiful little Aigburth flower shop opened after a woman decided to swap her career in finance for flowers.
Arta's Flowers, on the bohemian and eclectic Lark Lane, first opened its doors in September 2021. The quirky street is known and loved for housing an impressive array of independent and local stores and for Arta Llabjani, it was exactly where she envisioned her future.
Arta, 35, is originally from Kosovo but has lived in London for most of her life. After a number of years as a primary school teacher, Arta went back to school where she obtained her Masters in Employment Law. From there, a high flying career in the finance sector ensued but Arta was despondent.
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After visiting her partner in Liverpool, Arta was taken to Lark Lane for the first time and "instantly fell in love". Speaking to the Echo, she said: "I'd heard about how lovely Liverpool was while living in London but was pleasantly surprised when I visited. I thought it was so beautiful and so different to London. I could see myself having a real future here."
While working in finance, Arta developed her passion and love for flowers. She continued: "I've always had a passion for flowers and it was something I wanted to do. Working in finance, I'd buy myself flowers, I'd do free work at weekends just to be around flowers, I went to arranging classes.
"I always wanted to work with flowers but I didn't feel brave enough until covid - after that, I felt it was time to live my dream. I just wanted to have a change and do something I loved.
"The tiny little shop became available so I quit my job to make it happen, basically. I had to fight long and hard to be here because I didn't want to be anywhere else but Lark Lane, just because I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it.
"I first discovered Lark Lane when my partner was living here and he took me for a walk around and straight away, I fell in love with the street. I thought, 'this is where I want my shop to be, this is it'. It's just so cute and it's just so unique, I wanted to be here."
So far, it's proving to be everything Arta hoped it would be. She said: "I'm so happy here, I'm overwhelmed by how nice people are and how welcoming they are.
"I feel like people who come to Lark Lane really want to support independent shops and I've actually been quite overwhelmed with how lovely everyone is, and how welcoming they've been. People are so friendly - I knew Liverpool was a friendly place, my partner told me it was, but I've still been surprised by just how lovely people are.
"I don't think I've had a bad customer yet. They come in and they want to spend, they want to get to know me. There's a real drive to support local businesses here. People will come in and introduce their work, so as a business, it's been quite easy to find local talent to work with, too.
"The footfall is incredible. There's such a vibe here, especially on a weekend where people from all over will come in and see us. I've been really excited to bring the brand to Liverpool."
Arta also champions local produce and local businesses in her quaint shop. The vibrant green store is decked out with vibrant flora and fauna, as well as locally produced and printed t-shirts, candles by local makers, and more.
The flowers are sourced locally, too. Arta is full of praise for Lakes & Rivers Flower Farm, who supplies a lot of Arta's stock. She said: "We use a local farm that's only 20 minutes away. We want to put money back into Liverpool, so it's just 20 minutes to get our flowers from a family run farm - and they work so hard. They're honestly amazing, they grow the flowers organically. They grow it old school and naturally, they're so lovely. It makes a big difference.
"Everything is so pretty. It's a completely different experience, we try to do something unique with lots of wild and natural elements. They last a long time - you can't beat the freshness.
"I want to continue to supply local produce and to try and minimise overseas products. There's always been a drive from me to only use local farmers, that's my main aim - sometimes you might have to order things from elsewhere depending on crops, but I want to increase my support for local products. That's my main aim."
The welcoming spirit so commonly associated with Liverpool has served Arta well, with her fellow Lark Lane business owners now counted among her friends. Arta said: "I consider a lot of local business owners as friends now, they came in and introduced themselves when I opened. They appreciate that I'm a local florist and it's like we all want to support each other.
"A lot of customers have come in and said there was a big need for a flower shop here. Everyone has been so supportive, they've ordered from us for their events. We've had some weekly orders, too."
Arta is determined to make her mark in Liverpool. She added: "It's quite a time consuming, physical line of work so it has to be something you enjoy and really have a passion for. If people just want to make money, I don't think this would be the right job for them.
"I made it my mission to have this business. I'm determined to do something I'm passionate about." Arta's Flowers is based at 24 Lark Lane, Liverpool, L17 8US. You can find out more information here.
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