Family owned and operated Burkitt’s Flowers celebrating 85 years

“In the early days, the business was run out of our house, which was situated behind the greenhouses. We had the dining room as the packing room and the living room as the office. My mother only used the kitchen downstairs,” said Fred’s daughter, Kay Griffin.

The greenhouses were very simple then – heated by boilers in the basement. Kay recalls her Dad getting up in the middle of the night to feed cord wood into the boilers. Eventually, they moved to oil heat and then gas.

“During the war years, when gasoline was rationed, my Dad would wrap up the perishable flowers with paper and put them in a carrier basket with a hot water bottle and then cover them with a blanket. He would then proceed to deliver them by pedal bike,” Kay explained.

: Kay Griffin would help her father take orders by telegram in the early days of Burkitt’s Flowers. The photo on the wall behind Kay is of her younger brother Jack, who was also involved in the business until he moved to Calgary. Jack passed away in 2015.

Orders were also received by telegram back then. Kay remembers helping in the shop after school by writing down orders dictated to her over the phone by the telegraph office.

“Many orders were shipped to customers in the country by express on the train. Sometimes they missed getting to the station on time to catch the train. My father would advise the dispatcher that they had some flowers to go on that particular train and he would ask the engineer to slow the train down at the crossing on Sixth Ave. E. Then he would be there to throw the boxes into the express car. These would be funeral flowers which had to be at a certain place at a certain time.”

The business has changed quite a bit over the years. The greenhouses were torn down in 1975 because of deterioration and vandalism. The Burkitts then built their current store on the same property and flowers were brought in from wholesalers in and out of province.

The business has always been a family affair, Fred, who passed away in 1992, semi-retired from the floral industry in 1972 and his daughter Kay took over operations. The store was then passed down to her daughter Susan who still runs the store today. Kay still helps out with the book work, making sure everything is in proper order.

: Burkitt’s Flowers is located at 600 7th St. E.

When asked what the secret is to how a business can continue thriving under the same family for so many years, Susan said, “You just feel that loyalty. My grandfather worked so hard to establish the business and I am very proud of what we have accomplished.” She also stated, “It is our loyal customers that make the work we do so worth while. It is such a good feeling when a customer phones and they are just blown away that Burkitt’s is still run by the same family after all this time. We may have done wedding flowers for their parents or grandparents… and people are just so happy that we are still here.”

Burkitt’s has seen many changes to the industry over the years. More customers choose to order flowers through the store’s website, which has greatly diversified their services. Flowers can be sent anywhere in the world with just the click of a button.

: Artificial sympathy tributes can include traditional First Nations elements.

: Susan Chickowski represents the third generation of the family owned and operated business.

Burkitt’s not only specializes in fresh flowers and plants, but they also carry a large selection of artificial sympathy tributes.

“A large part of our business is for sympathy work and we found there was a need for more traditional pieces for our First Nations customers. We started incorporating eagles, dream catchers and sweet grass into our work. We specialize in more natural and northern inspired looking pieces, and that has done very well for us.”

Another new item to the store is the Robbie Craig artwork, a Canadian artist that does an incredible job of capturing the beauty of our north. The store carries a large selection of his prints and giftware items.

Canadian artist Robbie Craig’s artwork is featured in the store.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a damper on official celebrations for Burkitt’s Flowers’ 85th anniversary. Instead, Susan said they will celebrate all year long by continuing to give exceptional service to their customers.

“You do not need a special occasion to send flowers. ‘Just Because’ is the most common request, especially in the past year. We have been very fortunate that the flower industry has thrived since COVID started and we count our blessings. We are so grateful to our customers for their loyal and continued support. So many times, I have customers say they want to support local and they will keep coming back to us. It is such a good feeling to hear that! We plan to continue giving the personal and exceptional service that my Grandfather based his business on so many years ago.”

Burkitt’s Flowers is located at 600 7^th St. E and is open Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call 306-764-3488

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*This content was created by paNOW’s commercial content division.

by Paid Partnership

Family owned and operated Burkitt’s Flowers celebrating 85 years

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