Sandy’s Flowers & More

A small owner-run shop just west of downtown, open every day, and one of the newest flower shops in Ottawa — it opened in the spring of 2023. What it has instead of a long history is a qualified designer standing behind the counter: the owner, Tara, holds a florist diploma and worked as a master designer for two established Ottawa flower businesses before this, having run her own shop in Winchester before that.

What to come here for

The work here is everyday and personal rather than large-scale: birthdays, anniversaries, a thank-you, a welcome, the bouquet you buy on the way somewhere. Hand-tied bouquets are the core of it, with arrangements in vases and in boxes when the gift has to arrive already standing in water. Condolence flowers are listed among the shop’s regular categories.

The name explains the rest. “& More” is not decoration: candles from two collections, plush toys, small treats, napkins and paper goods sit alongside the flowers, which makes the shop a single stop when the flowers are only half of the gift. The business is a family one and gives to charity — the owner is explicit that the point of growing it is to keep helping people who need it, the way she was helped.

Delivery and urgency

Delivery runs within roughly a ten-kilometre radius of the shop, which from this part of town covers the core in every direction: downtown and Centretown, the Glebe and Little Italy, Hintonburg and Westboro, the university end, and a good stretch of the east and south. Beyond that ring, ask before you assume.

The shop does not publish a same-day cut-off time, so if the flowers are needed today the sensible move is to phone rather than to order online and hope. Being open seven days a week is the practical advantage here: a weekend errand does not have to wait until Monday. And from the middle of this shop’s catchment, collecting the bouquet yourself is often a ten-minute round trip, which in an Ottawa January is the gentlest thing you can do to a bouquet.

Highlights

• A trained designer as the owner. A florist diploma and master-designer work at two established Ottawa shops before this one.
• Open seven days. A small shop that does not disappear at the weekend.
• Flowers plus the rest of the gift. Candles, plush, treats and paper goods on the same counter.
• Delivery across the inner city — roughly a ten-kilometre ring that catches most of central Ottawa.
• A shop with a reason for its name. It carries the name of the person who sponsored the owner’s arrival in Canada.

Where the flowers come from

The shop does not publish its suppliers or its buying schedule, and nothing about growers or imports can be claimed on its behalf.

The space, the service and what else is on the shelves

This is a small retail shop rather than a showroom, and the useful consequence is that the person advising you is usually the person who will make the arrangement. The offer runs from single hand-tied bouquets to arrangements in vases and gift boxes, with plants for people who would rather give something that lasts, and the gift shelves — candles, plush toys, treats, napkins, small decorative pieces — to round out an order. The story behind the shop is not marketing: the owner arrived in Canada as a refugee in 2000, spent years in minimum-wage jobs, and named the business after the sponsor who stood by her.

When to come and how to get there

The shop sits on the main north–south artery just west of the downtown core, walkable from Centretown and Little Italy and an easy drive from the Glebe and the university end, with the bus route passing the door. Being open every day makes it a Sunday option, which matters more than it sounds in a city where small shops close early on weekends. Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, June graduations and December are when a day or two of notice turns into a real difference in what you can choose.

Questions and answers

Can I get a bouquet delivered today?

The shop does not state a same-day cut-off, so call rather than ordering online and hoping. Being close to the centre works in your favour.

Where do they deliver?

Within about a ten-kilometre radius of the shop, which covers most of central Ottawa. For anything beyond that, check first.

Can I collect the order myself?

Yes, and from most of the inner city that is the quickest route — and the least stressful one for the flowers in winter.

Are they open at the weekend?

Yes, the shop trades seven days a week.

Is there anything other than cut flowers?

Plants, plus candles, plush toys, treats and paper goods — the “& More” is a real part of the shop rather than a tagline.

Do they make funeral flowers?

Condolence arrangements are one of the shop’s listed categories; phone to confirm the timing and the venue.

Who actually makes the arrangements?

The owner is a diploma-holding florist who worked as a master designer at two established Ottawa flower businesses, and ran her own shop in Winchester before opening this one.

How do I know the flowers are fresh when I pick them up myself?

Ask what came in most recently and choose from that — in a shop this size the answer comes from the person who unpacked the box.

Opening hours