Two recessions , a world warfare , and a global pandemic - Ottawa ’s Turner Flowers has been there through it all . The Turner family has been serving the Ottawa community of interests in one direction or another for 85 years , and they do n’t plan on going anywhere soon .
It all began in 1936 when Ralph Turner pop out a greenhouse on his farm just outside of town . Forty years by and by , his boy Lyle decided to expatiate that glasshouse to half an acre and used it to farm plants for his newly opened bloom shop on 8th and Hickory . " When I was a kid , if we had a family wedding , my pappa would do the flowers on the dining room table , and I think that ’s how everybody ’s dad did it , " said Lyle ’s boy Shawn . Lyle eventually close his workshop in the 1980s , but he continued to develop and sell the flowers , fruit , and vegetables he grew in his garden . Shawn remembers helping his parent load their motortruck with flowers and fresh produce to sell at the farmer ’s market every workweek .
Since open that August day in 2006 , Turner Flowers has tripled its sales . The Turners supply floral placement for about 100 weddings and 250 funeral each year . " We ’ve grown a whole lot . When we begin in 2006 , it was a true mom - and - pappa shop , " he said . " We ’ve added and built and evolve a squad to where we now have 12 part - time and three full - time employees , so it ’s grown a caboodle . " Starting a new concern in the mid - noughties was no easy feat , but Shawn credit the store ’s downtown location with keeping them afloat during the 2008 corner . " We have it off the downtown location . It ’s amazing how many casual shoppers we get through the door from in town and out of town both , " he pronounce .
More late , the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a challenge to the storage as flower supply dwindled and Turner shut down for five weeks in March of 2020 . But when the store reopen on Mother ’s Day , thing were starting to look up . peak supply started going back up , and pandemic - era business practices like curbside deliveries were already something Turner stave were well - accustomed to . " We were doing non - contact speech before it was cool , " Shawn joked . But on a more serious bank bill , he point out the importance of his clientele during such a unmanageable time for so many the great unwashed . " If citizenry could n’t go to the hospital , or could n’t go to the nursing home base , or could n’t take mommy out to dinner for her natal day , they would send bloom , " He say .
The Turner family has come a long way since Ralph started his greenhouse in 1936 . Lyle is now part retire , but he spends most of his clock time on his father ’s 80 - Akka farm , maintaining the nursery , grow succulents , and raising chickens . His wife Kathy still work at the shop , and so does Shawn . The store celebrated its 15th year on Main Street last Sunday , but customers can celebrate with them all week with a like special for each twenty-four hour period : Thursday is opine of you Thursday , with $ 15 vase organisation , Friday the computer memory will have $ 15 wrapped bouquets , and Saturday all succulents will be 15 percentage off . Small enclose bouquets will also be five dollars all hebdomad .
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