Evans Florist: Bringing Romance for 100 years
a greenhouse at the zero block of Hochelaga E and turned “Evans Seeds” into “Evans Florist.” My dad, Henry Evans, came into the business in 1926. He was 15-years-old at the time and managed the flower shop; my uncle Les came into the business in 1928 and he was mainly at the greenhouse. In 1930 they bought the building where Evans Florist is located now—17 High St. W., so we’ve been in that building for over 80 years. That building was actually built in 1894—very historic.”
He said the operation of the business was not without its challenges. “The 1930s were some tough times for Evans Florist but they got through it all. When the war started in 1939, the wire business started and that was the channel through which persons living in various parts of the world could order flowers for their loved ones living in other countries and it was telegraphed. In this aspect of the business, we were in touch with the rest of the world through this means. The wire business was a big part of Evans Florist because we had customers all over the world.”
Rick and his brothers got into the family, combining their skills to keep the business going. “In the 1960s, my brothers and I started working in the flower business. We started as kids and we’d go in after school to help. My brother Keith went off to study and came back in 1965 to operate the business with my dad. In the 1970s, Ian and I joined right out of high school.”
Evans Florist ensured their customers