A 111-year-old florists business based on a South London market has had to close due to high rents and the recession.
Florist Christopher Tomkins, who started assisting on the CW Tomkins Florists Stall on East Street Market at the age of just 10, has sold his last flowers.
His family has been running a florists stall at the market since 1900.
Christopher, 56, dismantled the stall, located across from The Good Intent pub in East Street, Walworth, on Christmas Eve for the last time. He said that the poor economy and rising rents had left him finding it hard to make a living.
“My family has been on this pitch with this flower business since my grandfather started it in 1900. It’s a great shame to be finishing and I’m very sad but with the recession and the rising cost of renting the stall, I didn’t have any choice.”
John Tomkins, his grandfather, first traded from the pitch before his son Bill Tomkins took it over. Bill started selling flowers from the stall in 1945 after he fought in the Second World War and he continued doing this until the 1980s.
Christopher said: “My grandfather established himself outside the pub because he thought it would be good to get passing trade – we’ve had this spot ever since. When I started helping Dad out you couldn’t move down the market as it was always so crowded. My father’s five brothers all had flower stalls too and we all had a good living. Now it’s all changed. Up until I finished I was the only florist on the market. When my uncles retired their kids didn’t want to carry it on.”
He said flowers were more widely available today, with petrol stations and supermarkets offering stiff competition.
“Also, when people are tightening their belts, flowers are seen as a luxury and are one of the first things to go.”
Now Mr Tomkins and his wife Karen are planning to become foster carers. They will spend January getting the necessary training and qualifications.
“Our daughter Joanna is a social worker and suggested we should apply to be foster carers as we love kids. I had thought when I retired I’d give up the early mornings, but looking after kids I don’t think I’ll get the chance.”