Florrie Lindley Florence Lena " Florrie " Lindley was the owner of the Corner Shop in Coronation Street from 1960 to 1965 . The shy widow surprised her neighbours in 1965 when her husband Norman tracked her down and they rekindled their relationship and left the Street . Florrie ' s lasting contribution to the Shop was moving the entrance from the corner to the side next to No . 13 . During her time in the Street , Florrie had a brief relationship with Frank Barlow and was friends with Elsie Tanner . Biography . 1922 - 1962 : Early life . Shy , retiring Florrie was a barmaid at the Farrier ' s Arms on Collier Street before moving from Esmerelda Street to Coronation Street in 1960 , buying the Corner Shop from Elsie Lappin and renaming it " Lindley ' s Provisions " . She was worried about moving to a place where she didn ' t know anyone , and told the neighbours that she was a widow when in fact she was separated from Norman Lindley who had left for engineering work in India . Her first few days in the shop were marred when she was caught by the police selling firelighters after closing time . She was fined £1 in court , but she was mainly worried about the local newspaper carrying the story and sullying her reputation . Florrie settled in well , making a few friends such as Elsie Tanner and Albert Tatlock , and she hoped romance would be on the horizon with widower Harry Hewitt , but he was largely oblivious to her interest and ended up marrying barmaid Concepta Riley shortly after her arrival . She had no close friends in the street and usually went to bingo when she was lonely . Sometimes Florrie had trouble paying her suppliers , so to generate a regular source of income , Florrie rented out the flat above the shop , while she lived in the accommodation behind the shop . The first tenants were Phil Braithwaite and Norman Dobson , and they were followed by Sheila Birtles and Doreen Lostock . 1962 - 1964 : The lonely shopkeeper . In 1962 , Florrie and Elsie went on a few blind dates together . Elsie was more experienced at dating than Florrie , and still acted youthful , when actually both were the same age . Florrie ended up seeing Frank Barlow when they were both stood up , but they kept their meetings secret at first as Frank was also recently widowed . His intentions were never more than honourable and it soon dawned on Florrie that Frank wanted them to be just close friends . Florrie poured her heart out to him but he still wouldn ' t open up to her and he later admitted that he wasn ' t interested in her romantically . To save face , Florrie said she felt the same . They remained friends . After one trip to the bingo with Emily Nugent in 1963 , Florrie won £100 but was mugged . She was relieved when Jerry Booth got her handbag back . In 1964 , Florrie decided to make some changes to the shop , and opened a sub post office , and moving the door to stop the draughts . She took on Dennis Tanner as assistant , but he wasn ' t up to the job and was replaced by Irma Ogden . However , she was trying to distract herself from the loneliness she felt and occasionally she lashed out at Irma . One particularly bad day saw Florrie have a breakdown in the shop and throw a tin through the shop window , and collapse in a sobbing heap . Shortly afterwards things picked up as Florrie returned to the shop against her Doctor ' s orders and she started seeing Irishman Tickler Murphy . Tickler was interested in the shop , and kept up the relationship until Florrie started talking about marriage , too soon apparently as he was afraid of commitment and fled back to Ireland . 1965 : Norman returns . In 1965 , Florrie ' s estranged husband Norman Lindley tracked her down and appeared at the shop , seeking a reconciliation . The neighbours were stunned that Florrie wasn ' t a widow as she had always claimed . Florrie wasn ' t sure how to react to him , as he said if she didn ' t go to Canada with him they might as well get a divorce . Norman ' s head was turned by Elsie Tanner , and they went out while Norman laboured under the impression that Florrie was going to turn him down . Florrie deliberated over it but eventually went to Canada with Norman after all . Quotes . " Be funny having me name over me own shop . Florrie Lindley , licenced . . . " ( First line ) " Well , we ' re off . " ( Final line )