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Pocket money project grows into high street shop

Matt WeigoldDerby
News imageBBC A girl and boy stand in a shop unit. The girl on the left has long red hair, glasses, a pink fluffy cardigan, a pink t-shirt and denim dungarees. She is holding a flower in each of her raised hands and is sticking her tongue out. The boy has short fair hair, a long sleeved white top and is holding a bowl of bright confetti. Behind them are trestle tables covered in bunches and boxes of flowers. There are rows of shelves with labelled transparent boxes full of different coloured flower petals. The floor is bare concrete and the shop-front windows are covered with cardboard. BBC
Ivy, five, and seven-year-old Ezra have been hands-on since the start of their family confetti business

A seven-year-old boy who was driven to earn pocket money by making and selling confetti says he is excited it has led to his family opening their first shop.

Ezra helped his dad Nathan make biodegradable confetti for his wedding in 2024, then sold the excess flower petals online.

The young entrepreneur was thrilled to earn money from the sale, continued to fulfil wedding orders and together with his five-year-old sister Ivy, has helped the family business move into a shop in Heanor, Derbyshire.

"It's fun to peel the petals and besides if we're here a whole entire day, we get yummy food like pizza," said Ezra, from Eastwood, Nottinghamshire.

"It's great, amazing, brilliant," said Ivy, who is looking forward to opening the doors to customers once the store renovation is complete.

News imageA girl and boy lean over boxes of bunches of flowers. The girl on the right has long red hair, glasses, a pink fluffy cardigan, a pink t-shirt and denim dungarees. She is talking whilst touching a bunch of yellow flowers. Her other arm is around the boy. The boy has short fair hair, a long sleeved white top and is looking at a bunch of flowers. Behind them are rows of shelves with labelled transparent boxes full of different coloured flower petals.
Ezra considers himself the boss, but the family said Ivy is the "most bossy"

Dad and step-mum, Nathan and Catherine, told the BBC they had wanted to involve the children in their wedding preparation in 2024.

They remember Ezra's excitement from earning money selling the left-over homemade confetti.

"He got his first £10 and he was like 'oh, this is amazing'," said Nathan.

"I helped them peel the petals and I really liked it, so we just kept on doing it and we called the business Ezra's Confetti," said Ezra.

"We've got flowers here, we peel them, put them in the dehydrators and then turn them into orders."

The young siblings recycle flowers, some of which are donated, to make biodegradable confetti, which many wedding venues now insist guests use for environmental reasons.

"Both of the little ones love nature. They love caring for the planet. So it fitted in with all of that, as well," said Nathan.

The father said the experience had helped teach his children about hard work, perseverance and the essentials of running a business.

"They know that they've got to work hard because they're making confetti for people's weddings. You can't do it half-heartedly. You can't make mistakes. It needs to be perfect," he said.

News imageA man is holding a girl and a woman is holding a boy. They all stand inside a shop filled with flowers, shelves and transparent boxes. The girl on the left has long red hair, glasses, a pink fluffy cardigan, a pink t-shirt and denim dungarees. She is being held by a man with long fair hair, glasses, a white woolly jumper and black trousers. The boy has short fair hair, a long sleeved white top and has an arm around the man. His other arm is around the woman who is carrying him. She has long dark hair, green jeans and a navy bodywarmer covering a black top. Behind them are rows of shelves with labelled transparent boxes full of different coloured flower petals. In front of them are trestle tables covered in bunches and boxes of flowers. Other shelves at the back of the shop have baskets stacked on them.
Dad and step-mum, Nathan and Catherine, remember Ezra's excitement from selling his first bag of homemade confetti

Both children said they were thrilled to have moved into their new shop and were looking forward to welcoming friends and customers.

They thanked their parents and friends' parents who had helped the family grow the business but Ezra insisted that although its been a team effort, he is the boss.

"It's called Ezra's Confetti and it has my name in it," he said.

However, Nathan and Catherine said it was actually five-year-old Ivy who was the "most bossy" member of the team.

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