Burleigh Blooms owner Leanne Dunn announces the closure of her James St flower shop

Gold Coast residents are “shocked” to hear a Burleigh Heads stalwart is saying goodbye to her 30-year-old business. See why

Gold Coast residents are “shocked” to hear a Burleigh Heads shop owner is saying goodbye after 30 years in the local hub.

Burleigh Blooms owner Leanne Dunn said it was a “bittersweet” feeling to announce she would be closing down her floristry business on James St.

Ms Dunn said, while it was upsetting to farewell the well-known store, it was time for her to settle down and retire.

“I am closing down purely on my grounds,” she said.

“I have reached a time in my life where I think I need to travel, reconnect with my friends and leave Burleigh Blooms as a name people will remember.”

Leanne Dunn of Burleigh Blooms is closing after 30 years on James Street. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Ms Dunn said she was grateful so many Gold Coast residents let her into their lives to be a part of births, formals, marriages and funerals.

She said she originally bought the shop just so she “could have a job”.

“I moved to Brisbane and fell in love with the Gold Coast,” she said.

“Mum and Dad were horrified about me buying the business.”

Ms Dunn said her first two years trading on the Gold Coast Highway near Mt Woodgee surf shop was “really hard trade”, so she decided James St was the place to be.

She had a six-year stint in another space on the street, which Social Brews now occupies, before moving into Burleigh Blooms’ forever home in 1999.

“This shop is perfect.”

Ms Dunn said she had witnessed Burleigh evolve over the years – in some ways for the better.

“When I first came here there weren’t a lot of retail shops,” she said.

“There is now a lot of hospitality, which is good but I do worry if there is a lot of hospitality and they only open at night it means during the day we have closed doors, which isn’t good for the rest of us.”

Leanne Dunn of Burleigh Blooms is closing after 30 years on James Street. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Ms Dunn said she was proud to be part of the Burleigh Heads community and the loyalty that comes with it.

“Seeing the response after Nook Espresso closed shows you what we have here,” she said.

Ms Dunn said she understood Burleigh was going to change but she hoped it didn’t mean adding high-rises that would shadow the beach.

“I am also not 100 per cent on the tram,” she said.

“It might be a good thing but how does my mum who lives four blocks away get on to it?”

Ms Dunn said she was originally contemplating selling the business but didn’t want to leave it to someone else to “run into the ground”.

She said she’d missed a lot of life working 60 to 80 hours a week in the store.

Burleigh Heads beach. Picture Glenn Hampson.

“In August, there was a girlfriends 60th and it was in Darwin and my friends asked me to go and I said, “I can’t, I’m stuck here”.”

Friends and decade-long customers said while “James Street wouldn’t be the same without Burleigh Blooms”, they were glad she made the decision.

“Hard news to swallow, but can’t wait for you to enjoy some adventures,” Allana Oppedisano commented on Ms Dunn’s Instagram post announcing her closure.

Another Burleigh Blooms customer Gabi Champ said “you’ve served Burleigh well for so long Leanne, you well and truly deserve your own time now”.

Ms Dunn said she had been overwhelmed by the response from customers, many of whom have became friends over the past three decades.

“Thank you for sharing your life stories, your happy events and even your sad ones,” she said.

“I will still see a lot of people — I live in Burleigh and will still be a familiar face.”

Ms Dunn said she was going to try surfing, mountain biking in Tasmania and maybe the Tour de France route to see the scenery.

She said she had to be out of her tenancy by December 10 but would be continuing to fill the space with flowers and plants until early December.

Leanne Dunn of Burleigh Blooms is closing after 30 years on James Street. Picture: Glenn Campbell

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