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Our Story
Four generations behind us.
The fifth growing with us.
Rooted in Family. Growing North.
Northern Blooms Garden Centre may be new to Timmins, but our story began generations ago.
Northern Blooms was created as a sister garden centre to Laporte’s Nursery & Greenhouses Inc. of North Bay, a family business whose roots stretch back to 1950.
What began generations ago has continued to grow through hard work, family involvement, knowledge passed down from one generation to the next, and a genuine love for helping people grow something of their own.
At the centre of Northern Blooms are Ashley Champion and Lori Laporte, partners in owning and operating the business together. Ashley’s sister, Kelsey McMullen, is also part of the Northern Blooms Garden Centre team.
Northern Blooms has been a family effort from the beginning. Ashley and her husband, Paul, have worked together to bring the idea to life, while their son Arthur has worked seasonally at Laporte’s Nursery, gaining firsthand experience helping customers, caring for plants, restocking products and maintaining displays.
A Sister Garden Centre With Its Own Identity
Laporte’s provides the heritage, knowledge and generations of experience behind us. Northern Blooms brings that experience farther north.
Our goal is to build a garden centre specifically around the needs of gardeners and homeowners in Timmins and the surrounding communities.
We want to help people understand what will grow here, where it should be planted, how to care for it and how to give it the best chance of thriving in Northern Ontario.
“Your success is our success.”
Those words came from our grandfather and are still used by our mother today. They have guided generations of our family in this business and continue to represent what Northern Blooms is about.
We are continuing something our family has spent decades building, and we’re proud to bring those roots to Timmins.
Read the full story
From an Idea to Northern Blooms
The vision behind Northern Blooms was to create a garden centre specifically for Timmins and Northern Ontario — somewhere local gardeners and homeowners could find plants, trees, shrubs, patio furniture and garden products while still benefiting from the generations of knowledge and experience behind Laporte’s Nursery.
The location at 1111 Laforest Road became the place where that vision could begin taking shape.
More Than a Garden Centre
We want to help our customers create complete outdoor spaces. That means offering not only annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, evergreens and garden supplies, but also patio furniture, outdoor seating, tables, planters, garden décor and other products that help turn a yard, deck or patio into a place people actually want to spend time.
Living in Northern Ontario means our outdoor season is valuable. When summer arrives, we want to help our customers make the most of it.
Built for the Way People Shop Today
Customers will be able to browse and purchase products online, arrange pickup, receive local delivery and place special orders for products we may not keep in regular inventory. We also want to work directly with landscapers, contractors and other local businesses on larger and commercial orders.
Serving Timmins and the Communities Around Us
Along with Timmins, Schumacher, South Porcupine and Porcupine, we also plan to serve Iroquois Falls, Matheson, Val Gagné and Monteith. Where practical, we want to help close the distance Northern Ontario customers often have to travel for products and services.
Standing Behind What We Sell
Plants are living things, and gardening always involves variables that nobody can completely control. What we can control is the quality of the products we sell, the information we provide and the way we treat our customers.
Four Generations Behind Us. The Fifth Growing With Us.
The tools change. Technology changes. Communities change. But some things shouldn't: work hard, treat people properly, stand behind what you sell, share what you know, teach the next generation, and leave something stronger than what you started with.
Northern Blooms Garden Centre is the newest chapter in a family story that has been growing for generations.
