Kathy Ackerson, (left) floral designer and Tracy Lane, owner stand out front at Camille’s Floral and Gift Shop with the Bristol Pirate Beautification Award. Camille’s was chosen for the June award by the Bristol Town Council for their recent complete restoration to the 1851 building located on Vistula St. (Photo by Laurie Eads)

Tracy Lane, proprietor, and her business partner, Cindy Mannia, opened Bristol’s newest shop in a historic building on May 1. Camille’s of Bristol, located at 502 W. Vistula, specializes in floral design, spirited gifts, and vintage heirlooms. Tracy has 25 years of experience in the floral business, including 15 years at Sautter’s Floral Shop in Elkhart.

Camille’s is housed in a former two-story residence built in 1851. The home originally faced the St. Joseph River, but was reversed to face south when State Road 120 (Vistula Street) was completed. The impressive wrap-around front porch was added later, and has been tastefully restored.

The most recent long-term residents were Ken and Susie Yoder, who lived in the house for more than 40 years. Partly because of the historic significance of the building, Tracy says that “the community support and enthusiasm has been amazing.” The extensive restoration of the old structure was done by Bo Bowyer, with the help of Cindy Mannia.

Tracy is assisted in the shop by Amy Estes-Presswood, floral designer, and Kathy Ackerson. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, closed Sunday. The phone number is 848-4904.

Fresh flowers for all occasions constitute the major portion of the business. In additional to a cooler for display of flowers, Camille’s has created a walk-in storage cooler in a former summer room. Delivery is available to Bristol, Elkhart, Middlebury, Goshen, and Union

A vast variety of gifts, some of which are pictured above, including gift cards, are also available at Camille’s. (Photos by Laurie Eads)

Gift items of all kinds fill every room, upstairs and down, including a “clock room” with unusual timepieces. Watercolors by local artist Steve Johnson are on display, in addition to several lines of greeting cards, balloons, and products by Aromatique and Root Candles. For a more complete listing of products available, consult Camille’s website at camillesfloral.com.

Tracy and her staff offer full service floral planning for weddings, for which they can rent glassware, plants, and silk trees. This is a large and growing part of the young business.

Everyone at Camille’s is already looking ahead with excitement to the future. They are planning special hands-on seminars on topics such as floral arranging and wreath making. They are eager to hold a Christmas open house, for which the vintage building will be ideally suited.