聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 A woman, who has had a knack for design her whole life and has been creating floral designs and selling home d茅cor from her shop in Canora for the past three years, has opened an outlet in Kamsack.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Kerri Bletsky opened The Flower Mill and Home D茅cor Store at 524 Third Street on April 4. The shop, which occupies 1,150 square feet, includes a cooler for fresh flowers, a workbench, a dramatic entrance, display shelves loaded with interesting products and walls covered with attractive home d茅cor items.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚鈥檝e always loved to create and design, from flowers to yards and houses,鈥� Bletsky said last week. 鈥淚鈥檓 lucky that I鈥檝e taken to it so easy and I鈥檝e become known for it.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bletsky opened The Flower Mill at Canora three years ago after having operated Cripple Creek Mercantile, a Canora-based 鈥渨estern shop,鈥� which she says is similar to the flower shops she now operates, but with a heavier accent on the western theme. Through that business she worked at rodeos, trade shows and summer events selling clothing and home d茅cor in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta.
She is part of the design team that worked on Rawhide鈥檚 restaurant in Stenen, has worked on the interior of a number of homes in the area and is still available as an interior design consultant.
But Bletsky eventually discovered that she was on the road too much to her liking and purchased the Canora flower shop.
鈥淚t was an easy transition from the western shop to flowers,鈥� she said.
Originally of Thunder Bay, Ont., Bletsky and her husband Jim moved to Canora 11 years ago after he had retired as a Winnipeg police officer and decided to take over the family farm. He is also a Pioneer Hybrid seed salesman based in Canora. She had been working in corrections in Winnipeg and Yorkton. They are the parents of two adult children.
The Flower Mill is a business which provides fresh-cut flowers and bouquets for weddings, funerals and other special occasions, she said, adding that for the home d茅cor part of the business, she attends three major home d茅cor shows a year in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto where she purchases much of her inventory that includes wall art, aroma therapy items, gourmet teas, purses, clocks and seasonal, baby and wedding items.
鈥淢y husband says the home d茅cor part of the business is 鈥榩ieces for women feathering their nests.鈥�
鈥淎t the Flower Mill we make gift and gourmet baskets, carry a selection of houseplants and have a garden corner, but we鈥檙e not a greenhouse.鈥�
Although self-taught in design, Bletsky has taken suppliers鈥� in-house courses and her natural penchant for design, with elements of a western theme, is everywhere evident in the shop.
鈥淚 had discovered that we were in Kamsack about three times a week, having been working with Dereck Wolkowski at the Wolkowski Funeral Service and serving other customers,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t soon made sense to open a shop here.鈥�
Bletsky looked at various options and then decided to make the huge investment to purchase the property at the intersection of Third Avenue and Third Street and renovated the former laundromat at the rear portion of the property. Renovations included installation of a large show window, new doors and flooring.
鈥淲e took possession on February 17 and opened April 4,鈥� she said, describing the two months as having been whirlwind of activity. 鈥淲e鈥檝e done a ton of work.
鈥淜amsack has welcomed us like crazy,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was nice to hear all of the positive comments and when people come in the door, they say 鈥榳ow.鈥� That鈥檚 good.
鈥淲e鈥檙e grateful to be here and we plan to become involved in the community. We want to be as much a part of Kamsack as we are in Canora.鈥�
Bletsky, who will be dividing her time between the Canora and Kamsack locations, has hired Tammy Zielinski of Canora as her permanent employee in Kamsack. Working with her on a part-time basis are Amanda Gouge and Chloe Irvine, a student.
When not at work, Bletsky says she spends her time horseback riding and farming. She owns five horses that live on the couple鈥檚 farm. With those horses she has taught riding lessons.
The Flower Mill and Home D茅cor Store in Kamsack is open Mondays to Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Plans are to have a grand opening with specials for a week beginning May 16.
