A window shutter company has found a business sideline in the hordes of rush-hour rail commuters who march past twice a day.

Thousands of people pass Murray Clark and Mark Carter's office next to Preston Park station, Brighton, on their way to or from London.

It dawned on the entrepreneurial pair that their premises were in the perfect spot to offer commuters a pick-me-up.

Coffee and newspapers now sit alongside the window blinds at the building in Clermont Road to offer an oasis to weary travellers.

After 9.30am, their shop Brightontime turns its attention to selling floral arrangements - so commuters returning home late can at least apologise with flowers.

Murray and Mark moved into the building in January to use it as a base for Shutterly Fabulous, which offers high-quality window shutters and blinds.

The pair both live in Patcham and realised there was a desperate shortage of shops serving the area around the railway station.

Murray, 30, said: "I used to commute from here and found it frustrating there was only one small newsagent.

"People coming through here are likely to have quite arduous journeys ahead of them so it makes a real difference to finally be able to get a paper and a coffee to ease the pain a bit.

"It's high quality coffee too, at good prices - the most expensive is £1.50 for a large, with a couple of refills.

"The building fits perfectly for both Shutterly Fabulous and the idea of selling coffee and flowers."

Murray and Mark set up Shutterly Fabulous two years ago from home after careers in the airline industry.

They soon realised they needed to expand to new premises and moved into the office.

Mark, 41, is the son of Eastbourne hotel-owners Peter and Barbara Carter and used to be head of cabin services for Virgin Atlantic.

Murray was previously the Eastern Europe sales manager for American Airlines.

Brightontime also offers flower deliveries across Brighton and Hove which can be ordered online.

For details, call Brightontime on 0845 644 3074 or log on to www.brightontime.com

Friday April 16, 2004