After serving the gardening needs of east end residents for the past 62 years, J.A. Laporte Flowers and Nursery is permanently closing its doors.

The surprising announcement was made in a statement issued on their website earlier this morning. In the statement, owners Jean and Estelle Laporte explain that the extremely difficult decision was made as a family. The business was started by Jean’s parents Roger and Thérèse and in recent years the day-to-day operations of the garden centre were being managed by their son Nic.

Here is what the statement says... “It is with very heavy hearts that we are announcing the permanent closure of J.A. Laporte Flowers & Nursery. While this decision has not been an easy one, it is the right decision for us.

“After being a part of Ottawa’s vibrant business community for six decades, we are hanging up our gardening gloves and retiring. We truly feel blessed to be part of such an incredible community, and honoured to have met so many wonderful people over the years.

“To our loyal customers, we want to express our heartfelt thanks.”

J.A. Laporte began as humble flower stall at the corner of Ogilvie and Montreal Roads. In 1982, Roger and Thérèse handed the business over to Jean and Estelle, who was then Jean’s girlfriend. The rest, as they say, is history.

Over the years, Laportes has become a local institution.

Three generations of east end residents have come to rely on J.A. Laporte for their gardening and landscaping needs. One of the most endearing aspects of the business was the personalized service the Laportes offered their customers, many of whom they knew on a first name basis.

“Our customers are the reason we’ve stayed in business for so long,” says Estelle.

Customers will miss the ability to ask the Laportes for their expert advice which they would dole out from the information gazebo in the centre of the store.

The Laportes will miss much more than that...

“What will I miss? Oh my goodness. I’ll miss the wonderful customers that have been with us over the years. I’ll miss all of our employees and suppliers. But what I will miss the most is digging my fingers into the soil every winter to plant the seeds and then the satisfaction of seeing the greenhouses explode every spring,” Estelle said during an interview with the Orléans Star on Wednesday.

The decision to permanently close the store has nothing to do with the current pandemic even though it severely cut into their sales when they were limited to curbside service last spring and summer.

The pandemic was just another reason to make the decision when they did. Nic and his wife Véronique are expecting their first child this spring and he wanted to pursue other opportunities that will allow him to spend more time with his young family. Meanwhile, Jean and Estelle plan to spend a lot of time with their first grandchild.

J.A. Laporte’s roots run all the way back to the late 1800s when Jean’s great-grandfather was a farmer and his great-grandmother used to sell vegetables on the Byward Market. His grandfather was a farmer as well, and his grandmother was a gardener, which is where Roger developed an appreciation for plants that would eventually grow into a real passion.

A construction worker by trade, Roger decided to buy a farm where the nursery is currently located on Old Montreal Road. The first two years he tried to grow vegetables with very little success, but rather than give up and go back to construction work, he switched to flowers.

“When I first bought the farm, I didn’t buy it with my head, I bought it with my heart,” the family patriarch told the Orléans Star during the business’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2000.

The flower business took off, and soon Roger was holding seminars in church basements, community halls and anywhere else people would listen to him.

“I wanted to help people appreciate plants as much as I did. I talked about flowers and plants all the time. I bet I talked to 50,000 to 75,000 people over the years,” said Roger.

That commitment to community was taken up by Jean and Estelle who have donated scores of plants and flowers to local groups and organizations.
Their legacy runs deep and J.A. Laporte won’t soon be forgotten because they will be greatly missed.

NB – The Laportes ask that any questions regarding gift card redemptions be directed to sales@jalaporte.com.