Photo description:

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ENT - Valentine's florist Roy’s Florist: 710 Notre Dame Photos for feature on local florist. Photo of long-time employee ,Terri Holroyd, working to fill all of their Valentine's Day orders on time. Photo of long-time employee ,Terri Holroyd, working to fill all of their Valentine's Day orders on time. Roy’s Florist is one of the oldest stores in the West End. It was opened in 1955 by Roy and Ron Kaita, taking the name of the elder brother as is the Japanese custom. Sixty-seven years later, and six years after Roy’s death, that original sign still buzzes, and Roy’s is as busy as ever with Valentine’s Day coming up. The shop is now owned by Debby Chan, a former customer who left the city for several years to work as an HR executive in Hong Kong. And, it is still staffed by Terri Holroyd (wearing black, white mask), who Ron Kaita hired in 1990. Before she and her husband were married, he sent Holroyd flowers — to the store, from another store — on Valentine’s Day. Holroyd promptly put them in the store’s fridge and sold them to a new customer. Ben Waldman story. Feb 14, 2022