Owner of Miss Bella’s Blooms to celebrate 10 years of business at Newark Town Hall

A business owner who was inspired by her grandmother’s efforts during the second world war is celebrating 10 years of her venture.

Claire Alexander, the owner of Miss Bella’s Blooms, will be marking the milestone with a vintage event at Newark Town Hall’s ballroom.

She began her career in the clothing vintage reproduction business, but as the industry became oversaturated, she decided to take a leap of faith and create 1940s and ‘50s flower accessories.

She opened an Etsy shop and started selling her handmade vintage-inspired flower accessories for weddings, as well as the races or the proms, ranging from corsages, crowns, and crochet head accessories online and at fairs and vintage events across the country.

Diverting from the traditional florist, Claire only works with artificial, felt, or fabric flowers in the spirit of the 1940s ‘make do and mend’ mentality.

“This is my calling, without a shadow of a doubt, I can’t ever see myself doing anything else, I am just drawn to the whole era,” Claire said.

“I do say to people that I have been born again, my previous life was in the 20s, I am sure of it, I am so connected with it.

“I love the fashions and the florals — obviously I don’t love the war side of things, but the spirit of people was unbreakable.

“I do believe that we should bring back the core values from those times, back then, sharing is caring had a stronger meaning.”

Claire’s grandmother, Gwendoline Bowden, was a ‘canary girl’ in the Royal Naval Armoury in Fishguard, Wales making explosives — so-called because the chemicals used in making the weapons turned their skin and hair yellow.

Growing up hearing her tales was one of Claire’s biggest inspirations behind the business and her passion for all things vintage.

Working from her own family home due to a disability, Claire is now working towards opening a shop in a unit on Bullpit Road, Balderton, in November, where people will be able to see and feel the quality of her work and see her vintage collection, ranging from items from the past to fashionable items such as brooches or prisoner rings.

The new unit will work as a shop, but the business owner is also looking at hosting a few history open days.

She added: “I do believe we should hold on to that generation — to the stories, mementoes and items for the next generation — because so much was given, so much was lost.

“We need to keep the history and the stories alive, it is so important, and we owe them a lot as things could have been so different.”

Passionate about fashion but also people and their stories, Claire said that one of the highlights of her 10 years in business was taking part in a 1940s event at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, where she taught women how to create flower corsages.

According to her customers, what makes Claire’s business special is ‘not just the creations are stunning, it is not just flowers, but the person behind it’, which Claire admits to be her ethos, to stay humble and not judge herself, even at difficult times.

The 10-year celebration of Miss Bella’s Blooms will take place on Saturday (October 25), welcoming a total of 12 vintage-inspired traders, with a £3 entry fee per person.

There will be live music as part of the celebrations.