Flower bargains and more at Bloomex
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/08/2018 (2677 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The shop has a famous address. For over 80 years, Kelekis Restaurant operated at 1100 Main St., near Mountain Avenue.
When the Kelekis family sold the property, Lokhonia Dimitri, a successful entrepreneur in his early 40s, snapped it up and opened Bloomex Winnipeg Flowers, part of a wholesale and retail operation with outlets across Canada.
Most orders are online, said store manager, Leslie Borys-Hamilton, 68, but she welcomes walk-in clients. Because Martha Stewart has made do-it-yourself projects so popular, many brides purchase bulk orders of flowers to make their own bouquets and centre-pieces. This can save them a bundle.
Wreaths are also a big-selling item, plus urns and caskets. Borys-Hamilton said that when Bloomex first moved in four years ago, the funeral items were displayed in the front window. However, when informed that people living at nursing home across the street were upset, she quickly removed the caskets. She is sensitive to the fact that, for some residents, the home is their “last stop.”
As we chatted, one of the drivers popped in to have his order sheet signed. There were 70 local deliveries that day but the average is about 180. The business also delivers to out-of-town places such as Saskatchewan, Regina, Brandon and Kenora.
“It really gets crazy at Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day, but the biggest is Mother’s Day,” said the former flower shop owner. Gift baskets of fruit or treats are also popular now and “we also sell a lot of teddy bears.”
Borys-Hamilton, who brings her cute and pugnacious dogs to work daily, said Bloomex is now renovating to remove the former owners’ kitchen equipment as there is a need for more warehouse space.
She said that at busy times she hires up to five extra staff to pack orders and make bouquets and unique flower creations for joyous or sad occasions.
She also that people should be aware that some flowers are seasonal — tulips for spring, peonies for summer and gladioli for Fall. Roses happen to be on sale right now and are always in demand.
No order is too small, either.
“We have often delivered one rose for clients,” she said.
She’s also aware that Winnipeggers love a bargain.
“This is the place to come for savings,” she said.
“We give true value and our flowers are fresh and crisp. There’s no middleman.”
The shops blooms come direct from farms in Florida and Bloomex is connected from coast to coast, with the biggest in Vancouver and Toronto and the smallest in Winnipeg.
Drop in or call 204-772-3126 for information. To shop online, visit bloomex.ca or email Winnipeg@bloomex.ca.
Freda Glow is a community correspondent for the North End.
Freda Glow
North End community correspondent
Freda Glow is a community correspondent for the North End.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Freda Glow
North End community correspondent
Freda Glow is a community correspondent for the North End.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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