Roy's Florist puts down new roots – Winnipeg Free Press

There is no parking in the rear.

For more than 60 years, customers have traveled down Notre Dame Avenue to purchase bouquets and bonsai trees from Roy's Florist.

A downtown Winnipeg staple, Valentine's Day was the destination for visitors to the nearby Health Sciences Centre.

It was also home to a massive fire and recovery effort in 2009. Now, despite the recent move, a classic neon sign with a red arrow points to the building: “Roy's Florist” and below that, “Parking lot in back.”

“It's … pretty good advertising,” owner Debbie Chan said with a laugh.

He struggled with moving from the store's longtime location. In the end, change won out: “You can't sit in the old corner store forever.”

This spring, Roy's florist calls the St. Boniface neighborhood home. It has a new sign – displaying its wares along Goulet Street – and a parking lot out front, which has attracted Chan many times.

The move is “very positive,” he added.

Chan sat behind the counter and looked around the new store, which resembled the old digs he helped build. Spreading wood acts as the centerpiece of the store; refrigerators on Notre Dame Avenue with flower arrangements on the left.

In the back, the entrance cooler is built in the style of a building block – another Notre Dame car.

Chan and veteran employee Terry Holroyd said foot traffic has already increased.

“In the rest of the area, we've seen a lot less walking,” Holroyd said.

He started working for the company more than 30 years ago. When the Women's Center at the Health Sciences Center moved from Notre Dame to William Avenue — a new, larger operation that opened in 2019 — business began to shift for Roy's Florist, Holroyd said.

It was a slow decline. Lately, the space has felt “empty,” says Holroyd.

Chan said he started looking for a new place about six months ago. Front and back parking was required for customers and staff.

He converted the old house into a shopping mall. Now the florist is next door to a nail salon, thrift store and chiropractor. St. Boniface Hospital is just down the street.

“It's a nice little strip,” said Delaney Tyholis, an employee at nearby Reclothify.

Before going to Reclothify, she noticed customers visiting the nail salon and Roy's Florist. A well-established flower shop is good for business, he added.

“They have a very good reputation and I think that will only bring in more people.”

Reclothify plans to collaborate with Roy's Florist on projects such as art for sale, Tiholis said.

Loyal customers from the Notre Dame years found their way to St. Boniface, Chan said. Even Ronnie Kaita, one of the store's original owners, stopped by and gave his stamp of approval.

This may be the most significant change in the store's recent history.

The florist's service has undergone changes in line with current decades: digital records have replaced handwritten invoices, and employees no longer receive weekly payments in envelopes.

Roy's Florist is on major online delivery platforms such as DoorDash and SkiptheDishes. Those orders can be difficult, Holroyd said.

“They wanted it in five minutes,” he said, adding that it was good business.

Chan has no plans to remove the Notre Dame Avenue sign anytime soon. Storage is a problem – and now, despite the original sign insisting, parking is at the front.

At this time, 710 Notre Dame Ave. is vacant. “For Rent” signs face the street; online, the site is listed at $3,000 per month.

The second floor of the 3,050-square-foot building is good for offices or bedrooms, as described in the listing. It has been advertised for almost four months.

The Kaytas – Ronnie and his brother Roy – opened Roy's Florist in 1960, selling gladiolas, fruits and vegetables. After the operation, they focused on prosperity.

Chan joined the store as a university student in the 1980s. He left for Hong Kong and returned to Winnipeg with his family; In 2019, he bought the business.

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Gabriel Piche
Reporter

Gabby is a big fan of people, writing and reading. She graduated from Red River College's Creative Communications program in spring 2020.

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