Canadian Flower Shop News
Parker: Momentum carries new Canadians to successful floral business - Calgary Herald
Wednesday, October 28, 2020It was while perusing the web that she discovered Momentum — a program that provides training to new Canadians and low-income Albertans in a bid to improve the economy as a whole — made an appointment and told the counsellor, “I want to start a business here, but I don’t know how.”After relating her previous business history, she was told she had the ability to run her own enterprise in Calgary and was encouraged to take a six-month Momentum course. Her sink or swim attitude resulted in her quitting her job at Market Mall, dedicating her time to school from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, plus homework.Thanks to all that she learned from the course, she was granted a Momentum small business loan and a crucial, larger loan from BDC, and with some added family savings the couple bought the former Unique Flower Boutique business that had been in the same location for 22 years.That was in 2012, just over a year after they arrived here.Refat says he enjoyed being his own designer of floral arrangements and, with a number of inherited clients in the shop’s database, they were off and running.Then came the 2013 flood, and although they didn’t suffer water damage the shop was closed for ... https://calgaryherald.com/business/commercial-real-estate/parker-momentum-carries-new-canadians-to-successful-floral-business
Vancouver Island flower farmers were blooming as the pandemic wilted everything else - vancouverislandfreedaily.com
Wednesday, October 28, 2020In March when the Dutch destroyed millions of their highly sought-after tulip bulbs, it was evident that the pandemic had sucker-punched the global flower business.But even as Canadian flower shops shut and flower farmers battled uncertainty, a very different scenario was unfolding for two east Vancouver Island farmers.Candice Woloshyn’s Merville-based operation, Dirty Girl Flowers (DGF), is just a year old but her family kitchen had turned into a “flower hot spot” during weekends as the pandemic progressed. Mason jars filled with wildflowers were lined up for deliveries.This year was “busier” for the danseuse-turned-horticulturist as she took up a regular spot at local farmers’ markets in Campbell River and Comox and continued with door-to-door deliveries.“I guess, people wanted something pretty to look at during the period of isolation,” said Woloshyn, as people in her neighbourhood placed orders for weekly deliveries of fresh flowers.Bouquets of wildflowers, dahlias, sweet peas and heirloom narcissi became “a sight for their sore eyes” and kept Woloshyn busy throughout the season.When the pandemic began she, like most flower growers, was “terrified” that... https://www.vancouverislandfreedaily.com/news/vancouver-island-flower-farmers-were-blooming-as-the-pandemic-wilted-everything-else/
Man to be sentenced in Edmonton flower store owner’s mall death during robbery - theglobeandmail.com
Monday, August 24, 2020Wednesday, July 8, 2020. A sentencing hearing for a man who has admitted to punching and killing an Edmonton flower store owner has heard from grieving family members and friends. JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press The wife of a flower store owner says her world collapsed when she got a hysterical call saying her husband was bleeding on the floor of a shopping mall. Jordan Martin Cushnie, 25, pleaded guilty in May, 2019, to manslaughter in the death of Iain Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong had tried to stop Mr. Cushnie from robbing a cash box from a cosmetic kiosk outside outside Armstrong’s Bunches florist shop at Edmonton’s Southgate Centre a year earlier. On Monday, Justice Eldon Simpson sentenced Mr. Cushnie to six years in prison. Story continues below advertisement Justice Simpson said Mr. Armstrong, who was 61, fell down and hit his head on a corner of another kiosk after he was punched six times by Mr. Cushnie. Sharon Armstrong, who was married to her husband for 37 years, said in a victim impact statement during Mr. Cushnie’s sentencing hearing earlier Monday that the morning of April 17, 2018, was a normal one as her husband headed off to work at their family-owned business. “In a few hours, my world would co... https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alberta/article-man-to-be-sentenced-in-edmonton-flower-store-owners-mall-death-during/
Founder of Victoria's 'cheeky' flower count, dies at 97 – Vancouver Island Free Daily - vancouverislandfreedaily.com
Monday, August 24, 2020I’m very grateful to her for that,” she said.Helps said Fitzsimmons exemplifies the city’s “secret sauce” of independent entrepreneurship coupled with community service.Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press Do you have a story tip? Email: c.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca.Follow us on on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook. Flower Count... https://www.vancouverislandfreedaily.com/news/founder-of-victorias-cheeky-flower-count-dies-at-97/
Former Edmonton flower shop owner sent to prison for sex crimes - CBC.ca
Friday, May 29, 2020Remorseful and ashamed' Zetouni's lawyer told the court his client came to Canada in 2003 and is a Canadian citizen who has been employed for most of his adult life. "He is remorseful and ashamed of what occurred," Mark Jordan said. "He feels terrible about what the complainants in this case went through. He also feels terrible for what he's put his family through." The court was told Zetouni and his wife separated in 2015 and his two children live with their mother. His family became aware of the charges after police issued a news release that included his photo. "He tells me that his father had open heart surgery after he learned the charges his son was facing," Jordan told the judge. "He tells me that his children have had issues with members of the cultural community who are aware of his arrest. Mr. Zetouni tells me he was also threatened while in custody immediately after his arrest." Accused wanted publication ban on his name Zetouni was originally scheduled to enter his guilty pleas on Dec. 2, but changed his mind when he saw a journalist in the courtroom. Jordan told Justice Brian Burrows his client wanted to request a publication ban, so his name would not appear in the media. The application for the publication ban was supposed to be heard on Friday. CBC News hired a lawyer to oppose the application, but right before the hearing Zetouni changed his mind. "Mr. Zetouni's original desire to pursue a publication ban in this case was mostly in order to protect his family, rather than himself," Jordan said. "He respects freedom of the press to report as they wish, which is why he has instructed me to abandon the application." When Zetouni was given a chance to address the court before he was sentenced, he asked the judge through an interpreter to keep the media from reporting the story, for the sake of his family. "I don't have any ability to affect what might be published," Burrows said, before accepting a joint sentencing submission from the Crown and defence for three years in prison. ... https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-zetouni-sexual-contact-minors-1.5398516
‘Are You The B**** That Stormed The Capitol?’: Florist Bombarded With Hate, Mistaken For Shop Owned By Capitol Rioter - CBS Sacramento
Sunday, January 17, 2021A California flower shop is caught in the middle of a fight that’s not even theirs. Now Becky’s Flowers wants to set the record straight.The Roseville store is taking heat for someone in Midland, Texas who’s accused of taking part in the Capitol riots.Assistant manager Kali Mitchell described the stress of simply answering the telephone.“I said, ‘Becky’s Flowers how can I help you?’ And it was immediately met with, ‘Are you the b**** that stormed the Capitol?'” said Mitchell.“I even had one guy say a lot of things I can’t say on TV, obviously,” said owner Aaron Alberti.Those words were aimed at Jenny Cudd. Cudd was arrested Wednesday and charged with a misdemeanor accused of taking part in the Capitol riots.She could be seen smiling and waving at cameras as she left a virtual hearing. She told media outlets she’d, “do it again, and I’d have a gas mask next time.”Here’s where the Roseville store comes in. Cudd also owns a Becky’s Flowers, but it’s an entirely separate shop in Midland, Texas.“We’re getting attacked from the left, from the right, from people who really don’t care. People say, ‘I’m just here to troll you.’ It just shows you the ugly side of humanity I guess,” said Alberti.“Like, I’... https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2021/01/15/capitol-riot-beckys-flowers-president-trum/
Becky’s Flowers In Roseville Bombarded With Hate, Mistaken For Shop Owned By Capitol Rioter - CBS Sacramento
Sunday, January 17, 2021A Roseville flower shop is caught in the middle of a fight that’s not even theirs. Now Becky’s Flowers wants to set the record straight.The Roseville store is taking heat for someone in Midland, Texas who’s accused of taking part in the Capitol riots.Assistant manager Kali Mitchell described the stress of simply answering the telephone.“I said, ‘Becky’s Flowers how can I help you?’ And it was immediately met with, ‘Are you the b**** that stormed the Capitol?'” said Mitchell.“I even had one guy say a lot of things I can’t say on TV, obviously,” said owner Aaron Alberti.Those words were aimed at Jenny Cudd. Cudd was arrested Wednesday and charged with a misdemeanor accused of taking part in the Capitol riots.She could be seen smiling and waving at cameras as she left a virtual hearing. She told media outlets she’d, “do it again, and I’d have a gas mask next time.”Here’s where the Roseville store comes in. Cudd also owns a Becky’s Flowers, but it’s an entirely separate shop in Midland, Texas.“We’re getting attacked from the left, from the right, from people who really don’t care. People say, ‘I’m just here to troll you.’ It just shows you the ugly side of humanity I guess,” said Alberti.More fro... https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2021/01/14/roseville-beckys-flowers-threats-riot/
Florist Who Bragged About Entering Nancy Pelosis Office Charged - Patch.com
Sunday, January 17, 2021MIDLAND, TX — A flower shop owner who has bragged about her involvement in the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol has been charged federally. Jenny Cudd, owner of Becky's Flowers in Midland, Texas, is one of two people from Midland to face federal charges in the riot, KOSA has reported. Her identity has been shared widely in the days since the siege. Cudd posted on her Facebook page after the riot, stating "we" tore down the doors to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, according to the report. Cudd's Facebook page has since been deleted. Subscribe She later defended her actions, telling KOSA she "didn't break any laws." She said she was proud of her actions at the Capitol and would do it again, according to the station. "We did break down Nancy Pelosi's office door," Cudd said in a Facebook Live video that was later recorded and shared on Twitter. "Somebody stole her gavel, and took a picture sitting in her chair flipping off the camera." Subscribe "Do I think that it was wrong for us to go to the Capitol? Absolutely not," Cudd, a 2019 Midland mayoral candidate, said. "Do I think that it was wrong for me to go through an open door and get inside of the Capitol? No I don... https://patch.com/texas/across-tx/florist-who-bragged-entering-nancy-pelosis-office-charged
Calif. flower shop with no connection to Capitol riot flooded with threats, negative reviews - SFGate
Sunday, January 17, 2021Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office being broken into during the riot, reports the AP. She also happens to be the proprietor of a florist called Becky’s Flowers in Midland, Texas — the source of the confusion for Aaron Alberti, who has owned and operated the Roseville Becky’s Flowers since 2004. Now, he’s trying to clear the air in order to save his business. “It’s been nonstop … we’ve just been flooded with messages,” he told SFGATE on Thursday afternoon. “One of our employees recently picked up the phone, and the person on the other line said, ‘Are you the bitch who stormed the Capitol?’ And she just said, ‘No, ma’am, we’re in California.’ And the person hung up on her. There’s no apology, no nothing.” At first, Alberti tried to delete the growing number of comments, which he found downright disturbing. “People have written things like, ‘I hope you get cancer,’ ‘I hope your shop burns down,’ ‘I hope you die,’ ‘I hope you rot in jail,’” he said. “And those are the polite ones.” Contrarily, Alberti added that the shop even received a love letter intended for Cudd from a firefighter living in Florida. “To be honest, they both concern me,” he said. In response to the harassment, Alberti notified the Roseville Police Department, which has been periodically sending out officers to check in on the shop. He also contacted Yelp, which he said acted quickly to remove the misguided comments, as well as Google, though he’s still awaiting a response. of this store since 1973.We are getting hate messages and bad reviews as a result. To our customers, please know that we were not part of that. Thank you for your continued trust and please ignore the hate reviews that are not mea... https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Beckys-Flowers-Roseville-mistaken-Capitol-rioter-15871654.php