241 Manitoba Ave
Ethel’s Flower shop was opened by Ken and Ethel Crowder on February 11th, 1963 at 241 Manitoba Avenue. They ran the shop before selling to Lena Van Blaricom in 1966.
Lena was very community driven, being active with the Selkirk Nursing Division of St. John’s Ambulance and the Selkirk Chapter of the IODE. She received a 25-year pin from the Junior Hospital Aid, an organization which fundraised for the Selkirk General Hospital. Lena also organized the six-team Selkirk Ladies Business Curling League.
In 1969, Lena co-owned Ethel’s Flower Shop with a woman, who had worked at the business for four years, and was incidentally also named Ethel. When Lena sold the business to Ethel Keith. She continued the flower shop under the same name.
After being widowed in 1967, Ethel and her two daughters Carole and Jacqueline began working at Ethel’s Flower Shop and the whole operation quickly became a family affair when Ethel’s sister, Kay Mitchell joined the staff.
The shop was always busy supplying flowers for special days such as birthdays and Mother’s Day, holidays such as Easter and Christmas, and events such as weddings and funerals. The front of the store was a shop with a cooler full of fresh cut flowers. The back was a workspace where the floral arrangements were assembled. Ethel’s Flower Shop was one of two flower shops in town.
The shop closed after Ethel died on May 19th, 2014.
Ethel's Flower Shop Collection
Sources
Selkirk Heritage Advisory Committee Building Inventory
Interview with Peter Hall, 2023
