She needed a footstool to get on the chair so she could see over the cash counter. Tribal handicrafts and clothes were stacked and displayed floor to ceiling, so she had to use the ladder constantly. "This does not work for me," said Rokie. And thus the idea for Snowflake was born.
October 14, 1979 was a beautiful fall day. The painters, carpenters and other workmen had finally left. The store was ready for opening. Located in the lower level (a fancy name for basement) of the Sundance Mall, the original Snowflake was truly a showcase. It featured hand rolled stained glass, arched display cases, and a u-shaped floating cash counter. It was only 400 square feet, but was merchandised like a full service store. In the early days Snowflake sold boots, shoes, hand painted long underwear, and clothing for men and children as well as women. As well the store carried a wide array of Canadian-made leathers, furs, sweaters, outerwear and accessories - for which Snowflake is now famous.

Rokie was and still is a visionary. She reasoned people coming from all over the world would not want to buy plastic Mounties - made in Japan. Her idea was to sell Canadian - and to promote new Canadian design talent. She sold the first ever Paula Lishman knitted furs (a story in itself), and supported companies like Lyn Leather, Norma and Jinx. Gabriel Levy, Annie Chouinard and Cheryl Straby were all young designers showcased at Snowflake. Over the years Rokie refined the concept of Snowflake. Men's wear, children's wear, shoes, jewelry, belts, panty hose and cloth coordinates were all dropped from the product mix. Snowflake as we know it today took shape.

The second Snowflake store opened up in the lobby of the Banff Springs Hotel in the spring of 1980. Megan, Rokie's sister joined the company as manager in the fall of 1981. By 1983 Megan had moved into the office looking after the money -the advertising -the maintenance- and the…

Along the way, sister stores Wild Rose, Snowrose, and Softwear came and went. Wild Rose sold casual coordinates and sportswear. Snowrose was a permanent sale store, and Softwear sold outerwear and accessories. In 1987 the first Vancouver Snowflake opened up in the Landing. In 1988 the chance to move onto the Avenue in Banff arose and Rokie seized it. Construction was interrupted first by the Olympics and then by a fire. The store as it presently stands opened up that May. It was the first of many stores designed by Bob Cameron. 1989 was another dream come true year - a store in Whistler! 1991 brought the opportunity to get out of the Landing and move onto Robson Street. This was just a stepping-stone to where Rokie envisioned Snowflake to really be - in the lobby of the best hotels. In 1993, this dream became a reality. Before the opportunity to get into Hotel Vancouver (October 1993) came along, the Bayshore (May 1993) another dream location came available.

The company was getting larger. Doing business was getting more complicated. Technology was taking up more time and space. No longer could Rokie and Megan run Snowflake out of the back of a store. And so, in 1995 the office moved into the Showmart building.
Retail opportunity again knocked and so in 1996 a second store in the Banff Springs Hotel (arcade level this time) came into being. The Snowflake family was busting at the seams. Head office staff was flushed out. Someone was hired to look after operations. Tracy was brought in from the stores to be associate buyer. Business has been better every year. The expansions at Hotel Vancouver (1996) and Whistler (1998) have been terrific. Head office moved to a larger location, and the Head Office Hunnies acquired a full time assistant.

Parkhurst was a staple at Snowflake in the beginning, and were instrumental in getting our private label - Miriam Joy, off the ground. Miriam Joy is a tribute to Rokie and Megan's mother who died in 1997. The collection of cashmere and cashmere blend sweaters and accessories is ever growing. Some are made in Canada, and some - another Snowflake first - are made in China and the Philippines.

In 2000 Canadian Pacific Hotels and Resorts, owners of the Banff Springs Hotel changed their management strategy. They decided to run their own retail. And so, after more than twenty years we no longer had a presence in the hotel.

2001 saw other changes for Snowflake. A new head office location in the FX Exchange Building; with storage on site and room to grow.

The company is indeed growing. Rokie's philosophy on expansion is that any location to be considered must be on the corner of here and now. Our newest store Miriam Joy, located at the front of the Cascade Plaza (Banff Ave and Wolf St) in Banff, fits those criteria to a T. Like the private label, the store is a tribute to Rokie and Megan's mom. It's a concept store, From extremely affordable to a tad indulgent; life's little luxuries in cashmere and fine furs.

Along with the opening of Miriam Joy came another private label, Gram's Girls - cotton picture sweaters made in China. Gram of course was Miriam Joy.

Furs have always been featured at Snowflake. Even in the years when selling fur was unpopular with environmentalists, the company supported the Canadian fur industry. Now that fur is hot again, Snowflake and Miriam Joy feature another private label, Il Fait Froid, furs and furries from China.

Gazelle and Honey Furs are the newest private labels to join the team. The Gazelle label features Leather and reversible leather jackets, some with detachable fur. Honey Furs are not so traditional-traditional furs mostly in Mink. Both Gazelle and Honey Furs are made in China.

December 31, 2005 was a sad day at Snowflake. Our store in the Westin Bayshore closed after 12 years. New owners of the hotel decided to do another major renovation, and so took back our space. We are looking for another “simply the best” location, somewhere at the corner of here and now.

As we all know, time means change. New and exciting at Snowflake, is our estore, which goes live on February 1, 2006.

Thinking vertically, Snowflake has a few other surprises up its corporate sleeve. Stay tuned.

The first decades have been an incredible experience. We have had many memorable moments, moments of sadness, moments of gladness and moments of madness. What will the future bring? Rokie is trying to spend less and less time in the office and is hoping to leave more and more of the day-to-day running of the company to the Head Office Team. She is still President and CEO, and continues to hold the overall vision of the company. Megan Halprin sits in the chair as CFO. With the support of our suppliers, agents, and staff we will continue to grow and thrive. Simply the best in great Canadian design has been our catch phrase for over a decade. We will continue to grow into it.