“This flower shop opened in 1919,” explains Holly Winchester, owner of Deans Flowers (6025 Stanley Street, 454-0900). “Back then of course they weren’t flying in flowers, so they grew everything on site. We’ve got 4,000 square feet here, where the typical flower shop is about the size of a master bedroom. We were looking for a way to make use of all this space.”
And so a garden centre is born. Winchester has turned what used to be a parking lot behind the store into a grow area, complete with greenhouse. Last year, she was using it to supply her landscaping business, but now finds she can use it to supplement her flower sales and open it up for customers’ gardening needs.
This article appears in May 24-30, 2012.