Fulfilling a lifelong ambition, floral designer Selina Kerley is opening the doors to her new florist shop in Swanage and it’s just in time for one of the busiest dates of the year – Valentine’s Day.
With an appropriate abundance of red roses and pink prosecco, the shop called Tied, will be open from 11 am on Tuesday 13th February 2024 at 62 High Street, Swanage.
Tied will offer gifts, cards, vases and plants as well as bouquets and fresh cut stems
Name chosen to reflect coastal location
Freshly cut stems and bouquets will be on sale in the historic premises along with a selection of plants, vases, cards and gifts.
Selina, who trained in London and ended up managing the Claridges boutique of international floral firm McQueens, also intends to run floral workshops from the premises, teaching the art of arranging anything from stunning table arrangements to floral arches.
The name Tied was chosen to embody the shop’s coastal location, the hand tied stems of floral designs, and the cyclical nature of flowers and changing seasons, echoing the ebb and flow of the tides.
And to begin the journey, the first signs of spring are flooding into Tied, from tulips and hyacinths to Mediterranean mimosas, filling the shop with scent and colour, not to mention the roses which will be in high demand for Valentine’s Day.
Selina will also be running floral workshops from Tied
“Everyone needs a burst of colour”
Selina Kerley said:
“It is surprising the amount of flowers that will bloom through the winter, like hellebores, but when you get towards the end of the gloomy weather and spring is just around the corner, everyone needs a burst of colour in their lives again.
“It is really exciting to have everything come together in time for Valentine’s Day, although it was really manic towards the end with my whole family here by day and night – every single inch of the shop was stripped back, filled, repaired and painted.
“We had a few days off over Christmas to rejuvenate ourselves, but we gave ourselves a realistic timeframe and fortunately it has all come together.
Work began on the Victorian shop in High Street in November 2023
“It has been a real adventure”
Selina added:
“When we pulled up the floorboards it was a bit of a mess underneath and then the floor itself was uneven and needed to be levelled out – at times it was like the Grand Designs programme where they keep running into another problem!
“It has been a real adventure to get to this point, but now we just can’t wait to open to the public, and it will be nice not to have paint in my hair all the time!”
After the grand opening, when Tied will trade until 8 pm, normal opening times will be Tuesdays to Saturdays from 9.30 am until 5 pm, with extended hours on bank holidays.
Local deliveries will also be offered, while Selina will also continue with her growing work on floral designs for weddings and events, including summer ceremonies at Durlston Castle, Smedmore House at Kimmeridge, the Grand Hotel at Swanage and Studland Bay House.
After a winter makeover, and with a new name, Tied is ready to open to the public
Locals have give so much support
Selina Kerley said:
“It is going to be a busy summer, and I am absolutely thrilled to be opening Tied here in the heart of Swanage. The local community has given us so much support, and I’m so excited to share my passion for floristry with Purbeck.
“I discovered my love for floristry after a career in marketing and I haven’t looked back since. After six years working as a luxury florist in London, I came back home to Swanage with my husband to specialise in weddings and events across Dorset.
“But this really is my long held dream, to open my own shop in the heart of my home town, and run a florist shop at the same time as running my floral design business from the workshop downstairs.
“I’ve always loved this shop, I got married next door in the town hall and the High Street is a really lovely road with a lot of heritage and so much happening – it feels really exciting and very significant that I’ve moved in here.”
Selina will carry on her wedding and events floral design business alongside the florist shop
Further information
- Follow Selina’s shop on her Instagram account
