Mil-Jeanne Flowers & Axcenz has decked their halls and are ready to help you this holiday season!

For business owners Kyle and Alicia Pettinger, it’s important to provide exceptional service and quality goods, especially during one of their busiest times of the year.

Not only have Kyle and Alicia been busy renovating their space this past year, and stocking their shelves, but they’ve also spent countless hours curating the wide selection of items in their store.

“Everything in the store is hand-picked,” says Alicia, “Many décor items are also one-of-a-kind, so they’re unique to each person. We order different fashion pieces, and just one in each size for example.” She adds that knowing shoppers’ preferences is especially important in a community like Portage la Prairie, and they take pride in getting to know each of their customers.

There’s a lot more to Mil-Jeanne Flowers & Axcenz than flowers, which makes it easy to shop local this holiday season. In addition to floral arrangements and bouquets, they also carry women’s clothing items and jewelry which Alicia models on their Facebook and Instagram accounts regularly. If you’re looking for something new to wear to that Christmas party or event, you can come browse and try things on.

For holiday entertaining and hostess gifts, they have a variety of dip mixes, drink mixes, kitchen and barware and made-in-Manitoba products like Jacked Up Jill, Forbidden Flavours coffee Fancy Infusions pepper jelly, Youngest Son Beekeeping honey, Cove & Creek tea, Prairie Oils and Vinegars and Crampton’s jams.

Gift baskets are also a unique gift idea, and Kyle and Alicia love including some items from Morden’s chocolates or their new freeze-dried line of treats. The staff at Mil-Jeanne’s are happy to customize a gift basket based on a dollar value and preferences all year round. Candles and lotions are also popular gift basket items at Mil-Jeanne’s. They’re even able to make gift baskets for kids with their selection of kids toys and treats.

“We can also do gift basket subscriptions,” Alicia points out. “Each month we’ll send out either a gift basket or flowers. You can even alternate them if you wish.”

Alicia is particularly excited about the new Travelon bags recently found on a trip to the Toronto Gift Show. A number of other lines Mil-Jeanne has picked up recently include Kooringal, an Australian hat line; Lover’s Tempo, a premium jewelry line; and Fresh Emblem, a Made in Manitoba reusable car freshener.

Flowers, though, continue to be Mil-Jeanne’s priority, and they pride themselves on having quality both in their product and the talent that puts the arrangements together.

“We have an incredible team of designers that create unbelievably unique pieces for our customers on a daily basis,” Alicia explains. “We also love to bring in unique flowers, protea, ranunculus and, of course, seasonal favourites from some local farms as well.”

Whether requiring an ordered custom arrangement or simply stopping at the store to see what’s pre-made, the staff is always busy creating six days a week and receiving fresh, weekly shipments. Delivery is also available in town and in nearby communities at the customer’s request.

In recent years, the store has also accommodated small groups for special events, including girls nights out, wreath-making and winter greens workshops. Alicia says it never hurts to ask if they can still reserve a spot for upcoming Christmas parties or staff get-togethers.

To kick off your holiday shopping, Mil-Jeanne’s Flowers & Axcenz will be holding their annual Christmas Open House November 2nd - 4th and marking down most items by 15%!

During the Christmas Open House, visitors to their store located at 106 Saskatchewan Avenue East will also be entered in giveaway draws and have the chance to sample certain products. Alicia encourages everyone to stop in and sample some of the Christmas Open House items Mil-Jeanne loves to share, such as those from Gourmet Village, Morden’s chocolate and many others.

On Thursday, November 2nd, they’ll be open late - until 8pm. Grab your friends and get your holiday shopping done early with Mil-Jeanne Flowers & Axcenz.