Station flower stalwarts quit new high street site as business suffers
FLOWER sellers who say they were forced to leave their stall at a Birmingham train station have now quit their new site because of a lack of business.
Alan and Jackie Harley say the pitch they moved to closer to their home in Kings Heath took just £5 in two days recently.
They began trading on the pitch at Moor Street Station as a way of working through the death of their youngest son Jacob in December 2009.
As well as selling flowers, they were also responsible for flower containers and arrangements around the precincts. But at the end of last year, the Hartleys were given until February 27, 2018 to close the business by Chiltern Railways after a lease dispute. After leaving Moor Street, Alan and Jackie started work on a spot outside Savers on Kings Heath High Street, opposite All Saints Church. But even during the heatwave summer, times were tough because passing trade was simply not as reliable as Moor Street.
The Harleys have now announced they are giving up that site because “we can’t afford to gamble with the death of the High Street”.
Mr Harley, 57, a former Bournville College horticulture lecturer, said: “I stood there all last Monday and didn’t take a penny. “You can’t make a living like that.” Mrs Harley said: “We are down to our last pennies now and can’t keep flogging a dead horse in the hope we’ll have money for Christmas.
“There is nobody walking past in Kings Heath and we’ve just been quoted £300 for a car repair bill.”
Meanwhile, nothing appears have replaced their old business the railway station.
Chiltern Railways said in a to at state- ment: “Chiltern Railways support independent businesses and we pride ourselves in providing a wide and interesting selection of appropriate retail facilities at our stations that are able round.
“We are working with our management company to fill this space and have had some interesting proposals. to serve customers year-
“Chiltern Railways is a responsible landlord and we welcome any business who wishes to tender for this unit, and offer our customers a highquality service, to do so.”