Kelly Greens Flowers & Gift Shop has again placed #1 in the flower shops category of CambridgeToday’s Reader Favourite awards, and owner Lisa Bailey is honoured.
“We were surprised and thrilled. It’s really thoughtful of people to take the time to vote,” she says.
Kelly Greens has been serving Cambridge for 55 years, but staff members joke that between them, they have a combined experience of 100 years in the floral industry.
Lisa has been in the business for 32 years and has owned Kelly Greens for five. She learned floral arranging at University of Guelph at age 18 and never looked back. “It’s all that I know,” she says.
Lisa took over the business from previous owner Donna Obel, who had bought it from Gayle Kelly (hence the name), so the store has been proudly owned and staffed by a series of hard-working, knowledgable women.
Lisa still does a lot of arranging alongside her employees. They’ve wrapped up wedding season and are already preparing for Christmas and the holidays. The shop carries a wide variety of products in their physical storefront and online, including bouquets, arrangements, home decor, jewellery and Reids Chocolates. They provide flowers for all occasions, including weddings, baby showers, and anniversaries, as well as for sympathy.
Lisa loves seeing people’s reactions to wedding floral arrangements, but even when customers are ordering for somber occasions, she finds running the business meaningful. “It gives people joy, even when they’re ordering for sympathy. Because it’s the last thing they can do for that family member or friend,” she says.
The staff at Kelly Greens have been told that they’re the go-to florist in town. They have many local fans, but also some who live out of town and are repeat customers. These customers have ordered from all over the map, from North Bay to the Caymen Islands. There are also former Cambridge residents who move away and continue to call in with their orders.
“We had one lady who was born and raised in Cambridge, moved out to Vancouver, and still calls us and has a family member pick up,” says Lisa. “It’s these repeat customers that make a difference.”
Lisa herself doesn’t plan on leaving Cambridge, where she was born and raised. She loves the old architecture, the downtown, and the river running through it all. She says that it still feels like a community, even though it’s grown. She and her employees use their skills to give back to the town, like they did recently with “Rotary Roses,” a Rotary Cambridge fundraiser. The women wrapped up 265 dozen roses, raising nearly $6,000 for a local family in need.
As Kelly Greens prepares for another busy holiday season, this Reader Favourite win is a bit of an early Christmas gift for Lisa and her team.
“It’s always nice to hear from people when they take the time. It’s like getting a greeting card.”
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This article was sponsored by Kelly Greens Flower & Gift Shop, a 2024 CambridgeToday Reader Favourite.