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The celebration of Valentines Day on February 14th is one of the most widely observed, unofficial holidays. However, where did the celebration of Valentine’s Day come from?

There are several theories that attempt to explain the origins of Valentine’s Day.

Some trace the origin of the holiday to Lupercalia, as an ancient Roman festival and feast connected with fertility rites which would be held on February 15th.

Another theory relates to an old English legend that says that birds choose their mates on February 14th.

Others, connect the event with one or more of the Saints in the early Christian Church; one of which is Saint Valentine. According to legend, he was imprisoned because he refused to worship the Gods of the Romans. He had made friends with many children in the area, who missed their friend and expressed their love by tossing notes through the bars of his cell window.

Happy Valentine’s Day!
Krista, Sharon, Jessica, Candice, Megan & Nathalie

Hi everyone! It’s Krista here.

This year, I wanted to send a message out to you all. First off, Happy New Year everyone! I wanted to extend to you all the warmest of wishes for this coming year, that you are all happy and keeping safe and hope that you had a fantastic Christmas. I know that things looked drastically different for everyone during the holidays this past year, but however it was spent; I hope it brought you some joy.

2020 was quite the year for us all and Covid-19 has made a huge impact on all our lives in many different ways. With that in mind, I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout this wild year. Thank you for asking about us and our staff, for sharing our Facebook and Instagram posts, for shopping locally and keeping businesses afloat, for being patient when shipments don’t always come in on time, and for bringing a smile to our faces when we were able to open back up to the public. If you told me last January that 2020 was going to be the year it was, I wouldn’t have been able to imagine it. Your support during this time has made such a positive impact in my life, and in the lives of all of my staff.

I would have not been able to make this year happen the way it did without my team, and I like to think I have one of the best teams around. Sharon, who practically lived here at the store with me, especially since the beginning of November; Candice, who came back to work with us and worked nights when we needed to get ahead on orders for the next day; Megan, who started with us as a student a few years ago, and came back to help me full time run the store; Jess, who is currently on Maternity Leave, but kept our moral going in the store with her periodic visits, checking in on us and all of the goodies she brought us; Rick, our amazing delivery driver who delivered all of our arrangements out to you; and our newest addition to the Kelly’s team, our student Hope. Thank you for joining us at such a crazy time of year and doing whatever needed to get done to make the days go smoothly.

We also have an incredible behind-the-scenes team who made Christmas and 2020 as a whole happen for us. Thank you to Joyce, a fabulous designer you all might know from the area. Joyce came in and helped us whenever we needed an extra hand, and her expertise helped us with greening all of your stunning arrangements, helping us around the store and creating beautiful arrangements for you all. To my fantastic husband Mike, you got so many calls from me trying to figure out what to do and you always were there to lend a helping hand; thank you so much, I couldn’t have done it without you. To my amazing girls, Kaylee and Skylar. You both came in and helped us with whatever was needed around the store. Your hard work was appreciated by us all. And finally, to my Mom Diane. You came in every morning at like 5am, helped process mountains of flowers, did extra cleaning before we opened just to be on the safe side and a whole variety of other stuff that helped keep us going.

In July when we had more Christmas product coming in than we ever had before and it was honestly terrifying. And I know I share that feeling with the other merchants of Perth. None of us really knew what would happen. But Perth and the surrounding communities did what they do best and rallied around us (figuratively of course) and kept us open and thriving throughout the holidays. Our community is made of amazing people who support each other and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of it. So finally I would like to thank you again to everyone for making 2020 a great year, against all odds.

When Covid began, one of my greatest fears (and there was many) was that it would drastically change the landscape of our town. That our thriving and beautiful businesses that make up the fabric of Perth would disappear. That the vibrant community we’ve built and are a part of would lose its spark. I’m pleased to say, that wasn’t the case. Our community came out and supported each other however they could, and your support is felt and seen throughout our town. And in saying that, I know that we are extremely fortunate to be in the position that we are because it could have been drastically different.

I don’t know what 2021 is going to bring. None of us really do. But from myself, my staff and our entire Kelly’s family, I would like to extend our thanks as well as our hopes that we are seeing the end of this pandemic. I know there is still a long way to go, but there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Once this lockdown is over we look forward to seeing you back in our shops, and just in general see you all again. Till then we are available Monday through Saturday 10-3pm for curb side pick up and delivery.

I hope everyone is staying safe and is well.
We’ll see you soon!

Still want to shop in-store this holiday season, but beat the crowds? We have the event for you! Book your spot now and join us for our Private Shopping Nights at Kelly’s!

Creating a safe and comfortable shopping experience for everyone is our top priority this holiday season. Your group of 4 – 6 people will have exclusive, after-hours access to Kelly’s Flowers as well as our Gift Specialist who will be on-hand to help you through your holiday shopping.

Each group will sign up for a half-hour time slot. Masks and social distancing will be required to participate. Hand sanitizer will be available for use upon entry into the store, and when leaving. Refreshments will be available for each group, which will be handled with Covid-19 safety procedures in effect and has been approved by the Health Unit.

Available dates for Private Shopping Nights are Thursday, November 12th, 19th, 26th and Thursday, December 3rd.

The available times for each night are:
6:00 pm – 6:30 pm
6:30 pm – 7:00 pm
7:00 pm – 7:30 pm
7:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Please call us at 613-267-7065 to book your time with your group.

To guarantee that your bulbs make it through the winter, its important to make sure they’re stored correctly. We’ve consulted our expert designers, and compiled a list of tips and tricks to make sure that your bulbs make it to the spring.

1. To prepare for storage, it’s important to let the bulbs and surrounding soil dry, in a sheltered, frost-free place until the soil comes off the roots and leaves them clean. Making sure that the bulb has dried thoroughly before storing is key.
2. It is important to make sure that your bulbs are stored somewhere safe, and away from frost or any pesky rodents.
3. When storing, put a layer of sand, peat moss or even newspaper, on the bottom of the container you are using. Then you can add a layer of your bulbs, however, make sure not to let them touch each other. You can then add a second layer or dry material and continue this process until your container is full or all your bulbs have been stored.