We Mean Business: ‘I want to invest in the town centre and be part of bringing life back to it’
A passionate florist has shared that she wants to invest in the town centre, be part of bringing life back to it, and her belief that every business opening is a sign of that.
Launched in February, the Chronicle & Echo’s latest campaign hopes to help curb future business closures after a bleak start to 2026 across the town.
The twice-weekly stories spotlight what Northampton stands to lose if your favourite businesses were to close down, highlight the biggest challenges they currently face, and encourage greater support from the powers that be and the community before it is too late.
Nicoleta Costache, known as Nina, opened The Bloom Room by Nina in The Ridings Arcade in December 2025. The business replaced KS Bloomery, which opened in the same spot in November 2022.
Nina describes flowers as her passion and she loved creating arrangements at home, which led her to complete a floristry course and launch a business of her own.
Her former two-decade career in the construction equipment industry was completely different from this venture, but Nina wonders why she did not make the switch sooner. She now proudly creates bouquets and arrangements for any occasion.
Let’s take a look at what Nina had to say…
How would you summarise your experience of running an independent business in Northampton at the moment?
“It’s hard,” said Nina. “The cost of running a business is high and customer spending habits have changed. I’m not sure how other towns are, but here there are so many empty units and fewer people come to visit. It makes the town feel sad.
“If people want to buy flowers, it’s a bit of a luxury and they don’t spend much. It feels like flowers are a luxury for them at the moment.”
What are the biggest challenges you currently face as a business owner, and what impact do these have on the daily running of your venture?
Nina continued: “I want to invest in the town and be part of bringing life back to it. Every business that opens is a sign of wanting to do that.
“It’s really hard. I don’t make profit, it’s hard to pay the rent and bills are high cost. Some months are really, really bad, especially when it was half term, there were not too many customers in town.
“Making profit is a work in progress, I can’t see too much profit in it.” When asked if she sees The Bloom Room by Nina having a long future in Northampton town centre, she said she wishes to.
“I don’t think about that,” she continued. “I really wish things to change in the town. It’s going to lose a lot if businesses shut their doors and the town looks so sad. The streets will become emptier and we’ll lose places to connect.”
What do you believe Northampton stands to lose if your business were to close down? What unique offerings do you bring to the town that would be sorely missed?
“I bring colour to the town,” said Nina. “Flowers make people happy, they’re happy when they receive a bunch of flowers. People love my shop when they pass and come in, but I don’t see them wanting to spend that much money on flowers. They’re thinking about their pocket.”
What small actions can our readers and the Northampton community take to support your business in 2026?
Nina concluded: “If they can visit the town more often and help the other businesses and shops, not just me, that would be great. We bring life to the town.”