The words ‘shop local’ are more than important in these testing times for local businesses. With the COVID-19 affecting many businesses over the last few months. Last week non-essential shops began to open up again with social distancing measures in place.

Andover has a brilliant array of local businesses, and many have adapted to continue operating to provide their products and services to customers.

Here at Love Andover we are passionate about our town and the many businesses in it. We always want people to shop local where possible and we want to provide local businesses the opportunity to promote themselves with us.

As part of our partnership with the BID, we are giving away £35,000 worth of advertising to 70 local businesses in the BID area.

The Money Guy , Adam Phillips is working with these businesses to help save money and has successfully saved many businesses in the area thousands of pounds. We have dispatched Adam into the High Street to talk to these businesses finding out how they are now operating. Adam visited Gallaghers – one of the many independantly owned businesses located in Union Street.

The Emma, owner of Gallaghers, tells Adam about how they’ve adapted their shop what it means to be open again.

When Adam met Emma:

Gallaghers is a florist found along Union street which was founded 50 years ago!!!!

Following the pandemic Gallaghers initially found it tricky to trade due to shipping being nearly all but stopped. Emma luckily managed to keep trading behind the scenes, despite the shop closure due to events still going on, like funerals.

Moving to today – things are slowly going back to normal, both Emma and Chrissy are open and smiley as usual. Always a place to be welcomed- with a fresh smell of Roses (literally) as you walk in.

Like a lot of the shops the interior has changed with a sign outside giving instruction as to how each customer will be welcomed in, with safety screens in place and offering contactless payments, the shop looks similar but different to normal. A common trend amongst the High Street Shops. The inside is similar, but different! New Screens added for customers and staffs safety Emma tells me: Being open again is great, so happy to help service the customers, we’ve been busy making the place Covid -19 ready and making sure that our customers are safe is our no.1 priority. It was tricky at first to source flowers due to getting them shipped, but we have now resolved that issue and are open for business! We’re just so happy to be doing what we do best and glad that we can help all our new and existing customers. If you’d like to #buylocal and buy some flowers, for any occasion – just click Here or call: 01264 352 164 Just some of the beautiful flowers available from Gallaghers