I turned my passion for floristry and crafting into a new Sunderland coffee shop

The trained florist had twice before tried to open a shop in Ryhope Street South, but it never quite happened. So when The Sugar Pot closed, she jumped at the chance to take the leap, take over the unit and open her own business.

Tracey worked as an assistant manager for a big company for 20 years and when she took redundancy after lockdown, she pursued her passion for floristry, training at East Durham College in Houghall.

She has also long been a keen crafter and opening The Petal Patch has enabled her to combine her creative passions.

Part flower shop and part coffee shop, The Petal Patch also sells a host of items from local crafters, from pottery and prints to hidden library books (a tea, biscuit, bookmark and surprise wrapped book package), jewellery and books by city author Glenda Young, many of which are based in the village.

“My daughter has Bridie-Rose Hair & Beauty a few doors down,” said Tracey. “She made me go for the unit. I was so scared, it was a big jump. But I’m so pleased I did it.”

The Petal Patch sells a range of cakes, cookies and breakfasts and Tracey will be expanding the range as the weeks go on with locally-made breads, pies and more.

Coffee sold uses beans from Caribe, who have a kiosk at Sunderland Train Station.

She said: “The team from Caribe have been so great, they came in and gave us barista lessons with the beans from their roastery in Morpeth. I’ve been open three weeks and it’s gone better than I expected.”

Tracey is also working on improving the outdoor area at the back of the site, which will also be selling trees and wreaths in the lead up to Christmas.

There’s plenty of workshops planned at the space, too.

The first is a Christmas wreath workshop on November 30. It’s priced £45 and includes your wreath, hot drink and festive treat. You can book on The Petal Patch social pages.

*The Petal Patch is open Tuesday to Saturday from 8am to 4pm. Dog-friendly.