Shelmerdine Garden Centre launches new clothing brand/boutique, landscape supply division By: Aaron Epp Posted: 5:32 PM CDT Monday, Apr. 6, 2026

Shelmerdine Garden Centre patrons can expect a few changes if they visit in the coming weeks.

The Headingley business is launching a new supply division to better serve contractors, naming its fashion boutique and unveiling a clothing brand.

“The amazing part of Shelmerdine for me is always how customer-focused we are, but also how the owners are willing to try new things and look at the options and just go for it,” said Karen Mol, fashion and purchasing manager at the boutique.

“It’s so refreshing to work for a place that is like that.”

Shelmerdine is best known for offering retail items related to gardening and home décor, but around 14 years ago, the business started selling clothing via an in-store boutique.

Today, the 4,000-square-foot department employs 11 people and offers a variety of women’s apparel, including exclusive lines such as Driftwood Jeans and Dear John Denim, alongside the trendy brand Free People.

And, for the first time , the boutique has a name: Thirty Seven. It’s a nod to 1937, the year Walter Shelmerdine started the garden centre.

The boutique is also launching a clothing brand this month that shares the name. Thirty Seven’s first collection is called Saint Tropez and includes nine items that range in size from small to extra large. Among them are a Cara blouse, Renaissance pants, a matching skirt and top, and a peplum jacket.

The clothes are navy, white and chocolate brown, giving them a cohesive look that can be worn at any time of year, Mol said.

“Every single thing that we do is about (the) people that come in our doors.”

She designed the duds in partnership with Pamela Boucher, Thirty Seven’s assistant manager, and Shelley Ediger, owner of GarmaTech Inc., the Winnipeg company that manufactures the clothes.

As with the other roughly 65 brands the boutique carries, Thirty Seven’s clothing is meant to be accessible and fit an array of body types.

“Every single thing that we do is about (the) people that come in our doors,” Mol said. “It doesn’t matter what (the fashion industry is) doing in Montreal or anything like that. It’s all about these local people that we know by name. That’s what I think is really special about this place.”

Staff will launch the Thirty Seven brand April 18-19 during Shelmerdine’s annual ‘Spring Fling,’ a weekend-long event at 7800 Roblin Blvd., featuring greenhouse tours, seminars, in-store deals, food and live music.

That weekend will also give patrons a chance to visit Shelmerdine Supply, the garden centre’s new supply division.

From plants and lumber to decking, paving stone, soil, sod, aggregates and landscaping tools, it is designed to serve as a one-stop destination for both homeowners and contractors.

“We want to be able to serve both of them equally well,” said Chad Labbe, co-owner and chief operating officer.

“There was a void at this (west) side of the city … for a landscape supply wholesaler, and that was the biggest catalyst for what we wanted to do here.”

The new division will create six to eight jobs at the garden centre, according to Labbe.

Shelmerdine staff have prepared one acre of outdoor space for the supply division’s bulk materials, as well as indoor floor space for certain items.

Additionally, a brand-new standalone “experience centre” allows customers to view different outdoor lighting options.

“There was a void at this (west) side of the city … for a landscape supply wholesaler, and that was the biggest catalyst for what we wanted to do here.”

Customers can also access the expertise of supply division manager Nevin Martens, who has worked in the landscaping industry for 25 years.

“We want to be the best resource to anyone, whether it’s a contractor, a do-it-yourselfer or somebody who just doesn’t know what their problem is with their lawn,” Martens said. “Come on in and we’re going to find a way to help you out.”

Meantime, Shelmerdine Garden Centre has been impacted “a bit” by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Labbe said, adding the company has worked hard over the last year to source products from Canadian businesses so tariffs are a non-issue.

The rising cost of living is leaving many consumers feeling cash-strapped, but, Labbe said, that usually doesn’t impact the landscaping industry.

“Our industry seems to do a little better,” he said. “When larger ticket items (such as a trip) come off the table, spending money at home becomes a natural fit … So we tend to do OK, touch wood, during tougher times — and we do realize it is tougher times.”

Shelmerdine will mark its 90th anniversary next year. The company employs 80 to 90 people during peak season.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca