WARWICK has been home to Lynn Bryson for 50 years and she’s loved watching the city grow.

Although Mrs Bryson, owner of the popular Bryson’s Place florist and cafe, grew up on the other side of Allora and sometimes still considers herself an “Allora person”, she has a long list of loves about the place she calls home.

“I love the fact you can walk down the street and there’s always someone you know, lots of people to say hello to,” Mrs Bryson said.

Mrs Bryson is a florist first and foremost.

“That’s what I am and I still love working with flowers,” she said.

“I love that I can be of help to a family at a time of bereavement – we do lots of work for people in happy times of course, but I feel it’s these times that you really need to step up, to pay tribute in a loving and personal way that relates to the deceased.

“I think when you’re in the city, you’re just another number, it’s different here, I think because most of us know each other in some way or another.”

Mrs Bryson said originally the store was half the size it is today.

“There was a gift shop next door and in a moment of madness I bought it and the business has just grown from there.

“The front of the shop was always an issue for me though, I never knew quite what to do with it.

“Then people were always coming in and asking for a place to get a good coffee or lunch.

“So I mentioned that to my sister, who had spent her life in the food industry and we talked about it for a while and we moved into the cafe business as well.

It seems Mrs Bryson is a bit of a trendsetter too.

“We were one of the first in town to put tables on the footpath and there was a little resistance to it at first, from businesses and locals – they were a bit frightened,” she said.

“Country folk were a little shy and are not as used to alfresco dining as city people, who’ve been doing it forever.”

When it comes down to the crunch Mrs Bryson said she is very confident Warwick will continue to grow and blossom.

“I would love to see it grow and I think our new council also seem to want that,” she said.

“I would love to see more businesses in town, especially ones that can employ our young people – so they don’t all move away.

Mrs Bryson said everyone needs to get behind Warwick, not just business owners.

“Tell your friends to come and visit us, our city, see what we’ve got to offer.”