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An Old City’s New Vigour
Ellen's Flowers & Gifts |
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Written by Stacy Bradshaw
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Ellen’s Flowers & Gifts – a breath of fresh air in historic Moose Jaw
Moose Jaw, Sask, is a city rooted in tradition. Admired
for the restoration of its historic buildings and known for its
museums, underground tunnels, and a rumoured visit by 1920s gangster,
Al Capone, Moose Jaw is busy positioning itself as a unique tourist
attraction with an old world charm.
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Amber Watkinson, Ellen Watkinson and Stephanie Stephens, the ‘flower power’ behind Moose Jaw’s Ellen’s on Main. Photo by Amy Ofstie, Capture This Photography
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There’s nothing traditional, however, about Moose Jaw’s newest flower shop, Ellen’s Flowers & Gifts. In fact, owner/designer, Ellen Watkinson prides herself on bringing the most contemporary, fashionable designs and giftware to a clientele that has previously been accustomed to the same old, same old.
“People here hardly knew what a Gerbera daisy was before we opened,” joked Watkinson. But they embraced it quickly, buying over 1,000 Gerbera daisies from Ellen’s Flowers this past Mother’s Day. The playful flower has become somewhat of a staple blossom for the independent business.
Ellen’s Flowers opened its first location in 2003 on Langdon Crescent, situated in the heart of the city’s 28-acre Crescent Park, commonly referred to as the “Jewel of the Prairies.” From there, Watkinson launched her first “marketing campaign,” which consisted mainly of delivering free arrangements to local spas, the casino, and other local businesses. With only one competitor in the city (Watkinson did her homework before deciding on Moose Jaw), she was able to turn occasional floral customers into consistent, full-time clients. She now has a list of local customers with ongoing accounts that she bills once a month.
Originally, Ellen’s Flowers & Gifts featured art pieces by Internationally renowned, Western Canadian artist, Brad Dinwoodie. Surrounded by art galleries and museums, the pieces were a good addition at the time. But keeping with her mandate to bring only the latest trends to Moose Jaw, Watkinson decided to make some significant changes.
Ellen’s Flowers moved buildings this spring. Now located on Main Street, Watkinson says she realized quickly that the old adage, “location, location, location” holds a great deal of merit. Her fresh flower sales doubled in one month after the move.
More recently, Watkinson started featuring large, metal art pieces, including oversized mirrors, clocks, and gardenware. “Metal artwork is in right now,” she advised. Watkinson said she draws most of her inspiration from nature, but she also looks through home décor magazines and frequently visits industry trade shows to keep on top of what’s current.
Watkinson visits Toronto and Edmonton regularly for design shows and industry events. She recently added the Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market to her list of stops. She said Canadian cities like Vancouver and Toronto are about one year ahead of Moose Jaw when it comes to design trends. But just as European trends eventually make their way west, trends from Toronto and Vancouver eventually make their way to the Prairies. By paying close attention to these cities, she is able to identify the trends early on and forecast when her clientele will be looking out for the modern designs.
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| Photos by Amy Ofstie, Capture This Photography |
Watkinson limits her stock of art and home décor pieces to two or three items each. She says her regular clientele appreciate that few other people in town will own the same unique piece – “it’s stuff that Wal-Mart isn’t likely to pick up.”
Watkinson buys most of her retail goods at gift shows. She entertains the idea of selling more locally made gifts and artwork, but carefully considers that they’re being sold locally elsewhere as well. Instead she focuses on bringing new, one-of-a-kind pieces to Moose Jaw.
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One Stop Bridal Shop
Ellen Watkinson has worked as a designer in various flower shops across Western Canada since she was 17 years old. In 2003, she decided to open her own store in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, with the help of her daughter, Amber.
When wedding sales at Ellen’s Flowers & Gifts started to grow, Ellen and Amber knew they had to develop some creative ways to profit from the boost in bridal traffic. Brides-to-be constantly inquired about wedding rentals. And so, Ellen’s Flowers & Gifts invested in 450 chair covers, pillars, arches, and a myriad of other bridal favourites to become a one-stop-bridal-shop.
They researched other rental companies in the area, found out how much they were charging for similar items, and beat their prices. “I knew that was the only way to enter this market,” said Watkinson.
Not to mention, the long hours they put it to maintain this portion of their business. Last year Ellen’s Flowers & Gifts serviced over 130 weddings with the equivalent of three full-time staff members, and two delivery workers.
Also, when couples purchase rentals and fresh flowers from the Ellen’s Flowers & Gifts, Watkinson lends them a set of glassware at no charge to use at their reception. They only have to pay for the fresh flowers.
“We do it as a service,” said Watkinson. It’s this dedication to the perfection of their wedding services that sets Ellen’s Flowers & Gifts apart from its competitors.
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Ellen supports her community by helping out with the city’s many events, purchasing local supplies, and contributing to local charities. She donates fresh flower arrangements on a regular basis. This year, Ellen’s Flowers & Gifts received an honorary award for Outstanding Leadership in the Community.
It’s her commitment to the community, one-of-a-kind pieces, and contemporary designs that keep Ellen’s Flowers & Gifts from becoming too generic, says Watkinson. That was also her goal when she hired a local web developer to build her company website, www.ellensflowers.com. It’s a simple, attractive website that accomplishes something very important. Using descriptive copy, professional photographs, and of course, the staple Gerbera Daisy, Ellensflowers.com does exactly what Watkinson wants it to. It’s a fun and unique site that encourages people to call or visit the store to experience Ellen’s creativity for themselves.
Rather than sell arrangements over the Internet, Watkinson uses her website to attract customers to the store. That way she can better tailor her designs to suit the customers’ individual needs. Contemporary designs might be her forte, but if the customer is looking for something traditional, she is more than willing to accommodate.
Watkinson is committed to meeting her customers’ expectations. She offers everything from custom designed arrangements to traditional designs, European hand ties and vase bouquets. By doing so, she is able to accommodate every customer’s tastes while still offering a fresh perspective on evolving design trends. Ellen’s Flowers is a breath of fresh air in a city that, although infamously rooted in Canadian tradition, seems taken by the allure of contem-porary floral design.
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