Early Wednesday morning, Tamey Lau looked outside and noticed the flower-covered tricycle she had ridden through Mile End for nearly 15 years was gone.
When the Dragon Flowers owner arrived at her St-Laurent Blvd. shop, she found flowers scattered across the sidewalk — ripped from the black three-wheeler she relied on to make deliveries, haul supplies and get around despite chronic foot and knee problems.
The theft has left Lau without a key tool she used to run the independent flower shop she has operated for roughly 45 years. The distinctive tricycle, familiar to many customers in the neighbourhood, served as both a delivery vehicle and a mobility aid.
“The tricycle is very important to my business,” Lau said. “I can’t deliver anything now.”
Lau said she discovered the theft around 3:45 a.m. Wednesday. The tricycle had been locked outside the shop.
“I’m sure professionals stole it,” she said.
The loss has sparked an outpouring of support from customers and neighbours who have shared photos of the tricycle online in hopes of helping recover it. One supporter has even offered to buy her a replacement.
“We’ll get her a bike,” said one of Lau’s daughters. “But I think she really wants her own bike back.”
Dragon Flowers owner Tamey Lau with her tricycle, which was stolen Wednesday morning in front of the store on St-Laurent Blvd. via Dragon Flowers
The black three-wheeler had become a familiar sight around Mile End. Decorated with flowers and fitted with a large basket, it allowed Lau to transport bouquets and supplies.
“My foot isn’t good anymore,” she said. “I can’t ride a two-wheel bicycle.”
Years ago, a customer helped install an electric battery on the tricycle, making it easier for Lau to navigate neighbourhood streets and hills despite ongoing knee pain.
“It’s nothing like a regular bike,” she said.
The theft comes only a couple of months after Lau relocated Dragon Flowers to 5777 St-Laurent Blvd. from its longtime home on Bernard Ave.
The move ended years of frustration at her former location, where recurring leaks, heating problems and a lack of hot water had taken a toll on both the business and its owner.
Tamey Lau, owner of Dragon Flowers in Mile End, has chronic foot and knee problems and can’t use a regular bike to deliver flowers. Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette
Rent at the new storefront is higher, but Lau has said the improved conditions were worth the cost.
Now she is facing another unexpected setback.
Adding to the heartbreak, Lau’s daughter had taken a photograph of the tricycle just one day before it disappeared.
“I took a picture of it yesterday because it looked so pretty,” she said.
Hours later, she received a call from her mother telling her the bike was gone.
Lau, who moved to Montreal from Hong Kong in the late 1970s, has spent decades building a loyal following through the flower shop. Known simply as “Tamey” to many regulars, she has become a fixture of the neighbourhood, often working from early morning until late at night.
For her, the loss is about more than the value of the vehicle itself.
“I can buy another one,” Lau said. “But it’s not the same.”
Anyone with information about the tricycle’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact Dragon Flowers at 514-278-8818.