Friday, February 7, 1992 — North Shore News - 15

HOME & GARDEN
United Flower Growers enjoying great success

UNITED FLOWER Growers Cooperative Association,
located on Marine Way in Burnaby, is the first ‘‘Dutch-
style’ flower and plant auction in Canada. Founded in
1963 by six local producers, the auction has grown to be
the largest of three similar auctions in Canada (the others

being in Toronto and Montreal).

It was not until 10 years later,
in 1973, that the Co-op for the
first time exceeded $1 million in
sales and since then members have
watched the Co-op grow and sur-
pass the $10 million and $20 mil-
lion sales levels. They are now
preparing for the day when $30
million in sales will be surpassed
for the first time in the Co-op’s
history.

United Flower Growers, or
UFG, has enjoyed continuous im-
provement in sales and facilities.
From its modest beginnings in an
old rented warehouse on Georgia
Street in Vancouver, to its present
modern warehouse on Marine
Way, UFG has regularly outgrown
its facility and improved the auc-
tion procedure.

This first member-owned
warehouse was located on Malkin
Avenue in Vancouver's produce
district. This 15,000-square-foot
facility, using a simple
mechanical/electric-type auction
clock, was outgrown by 1978, at
which time UFG moved to Bur-
naby. There, a 45,000-square-foot
warehouse was constructed and a
new mechanical/electrical clock
developed, and eventually inter-

Juried show

IMAGES AND Objects is B.C.’s
largest annual juried art exhibition
with over 1,500 artists and ar-
tisans entering 12 qualifying
regional shows.

Finalists, numbering 240, will
be selected for Images and Objects
X, the visual arts component of
the 1992 B.C. Festival of the Arts,
which will be held in Vernon from
May 27-31,

In addition to participating in
the exhibition, finalists are eligible
to receive room, board and travel
subsidies to attend the festival and
are offered the opportunity to
participate in four days of profes-

Natural wood fishes can be cared for m a
natural way. This avoids the need for

Our Green Planet

Recipes for a cleaner, healthier environment
Furniture Care

faced with a computer for faster
data processing.

Customers frequenting the auc-
tion during the initial years of
UFG were primarily local Van-
couver green grocers. As the auc-
tion grew, so did its customer base,
and it now includes local
wholesale distributors, florists,
supermarkets, garden centres and
interior landscapers. Buyers come
to the auction market from all
over the province and beyond, as
well as from the U.S.

To satisfy the demands of some
600 customers, the Co-op is con-
stantly bringing new growers into
the organization. Today, the auc-
tion sells products from 87 grower
members and over 180 growers in
total. Projections are for the
Co-op’s grower base to further
expand by eight to 10% annually.

The auction, in the Vancouver
marketplace, has become the heart
of floriculture in British Colum-
bia. No other organization has
more greatly influenced the mar-
keting and production of
floricultural products in Western
Canada. By directly relating quali-
ty and the price paid for a pro-
duct, the auction substantially
contributed to improved produc-

invites work

sional development workshops.

B.C. artists and artisans of all
ages, working in any visual art
medium, are eligible to enter Im-
ages and Objects and the quali-
fying regional shows.

For entry forms and informa-
tion regarding qualifying shows,
the contact for the North Shore
area is 922-1110. Deadline is Feb.
14,

Images and Objects is coordi-
nated by the Assembly of B.C.
Arts Councils. The B.C. Festival
of the Arts is funded by the pro-
vince through B.C. lottery funds.

Tip
Oifficult water spots canbe removed

tion quality.

By offering an immediate mar-
ketplace for any product, the auc-
tion has encouraged the growing
of a wide variety of new plants
and flowers. By offering free and
open entry to all buyers, the auc-
tion has encouraged the growth of
a highly-competitive, service-
oriented wholesale marketplace.

More than any other single fac-
tor, UFG has given British Col-
umbia a reputation for a wide
range of quality floral products at

‘Thomasville

Gallery’

33” OFF

Custom made Sofas,
Love Seats & Chairs.
2,000 Fabrics, 25 styles,
many sizes, in selected,
Fabrics.

Most every
bedroom group.
14 Styles, 6
Hardwoods,
open stock.

Si During the Incredible Thomasville

attractive prices. The auction has
truly helped to make British Col-
umbia beautiful.

In 1986, the members of United
Flower Growers celebrated the
opening of a new
square-foot warehouse and office
complex. Two fully-electronic
LED display auction clocks, LED
information boards, direct buyer
keypad entry and full computer
interfacing, combine to create a
marketing facility second to none
in floriculture.

100,000-

‘redible

el niture | ale

tradition of
style, selection

and Quality

Sale, you'll find beautiful furniture
in the incredible range of
Thomasville’s designs in dining,
bedroom, occasional, and
selected upholstered fumiture —
with an unbeatable offering of
accessories too. Soo make no
mistake. Come in today and find
your style, color and comfort.

harmful chemicals.
Ingredients
1 part lemon juice
2 parts vegetable ail
Directions
Combine maredients na bowl anduse a

soft cloth for polishing. Store in a plastic
Sour Cream or margarme container.

and a 1/4 cup of vodka ma
small bowl Lightly dampen
a@ soft cloth with the
vodka andoil mixture and
gently rub the of fending

om spot. Dry immediately
with a soft cloth A
httle toothpaste will also
remove water spots!

TIFFANY FIXTURE

bevelled glass
«21 wide

® 6X40W/M downlight

SALE asf 98*

DESK LAMPS

aate5%
FROM

(just over 2nd Narrows Bridge)
* comer of Hastings & Nanlamo,
tur right at Hastings

G6 to 10 weeks.

NOTE: This is a factory sponsored sale. “All wood pieces ure subject to
being in stock at factory. Your order will be confirmed at time of sale
for guaranteed delivery. This offer applies to new orders only. Delivery

685-8414

1080 Mainland Street
at Helmcken
Downtown
Vancouver, B.C.

Separate yourself from the ordinary...

And Receive Affordable Luxury From Thomasville . . .

Now Two Big Locations

CANADA'S LARGEST THOMASVILLE GALLERY

lOpoMirs

THOMASVILLE GALLERY

Plans are now under way to
handle the expected growth over
the next ten years and an am-
bitious expansion program has
been launched and is targeted for
completion early in 1994. The new
facilities, located in the Tilbury,
Delta industrial park, will be more
than twice the size of the current
warehouse. To speed up sales,
UFG will add another two auction
clocks for a total of four with the
aim of selling twice as much floral
material in half the time.

Every Dining
Piece, 12 Styles,

_— 6 Hardwoods...
A FOR Oak, Mahogany,
j Cherry, Walnut,

(ET cosas |
TABLE AP"

Selected Leather Pieces
in all the good colors.
Plus all Entertainment
& Wall Units and all
Hardwood, Cocktail &
End Tables.

435-5566

4242 Manor Street
Burnaby, B.C.
(Half a block west of
Sheraton Villa Hotel

MONDAY TO SATURDAY 9 A.M. TO 5 P.M. SUNDAY NOON TO 5 P.M.

10 211 nights of shelter were re provided for abused women

and théir childrén last year.
ul Your can help this Fall)

RS

United Way

: ithe Lower Mainland