Arthur William Knapp (May 4, 1914 - February 22, 1991), better known as Art Knapp, was a Canadian businessman and entrepreneur. Art Knapp is best known as the founder of the Art Knapp's chain of garden stores. Knapp was born in

Cobble Hill, British Columbia Cobble Hill is a small community on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It is located approximately north of Victoria on Highway 1 in the Cowichan Valley Regional District, and is known for its agricultural surroundings, and for Cobbl ...

and was the son of William Knapp and Zoe Saunders Knapp. As Knapp's mother died in childbirth, he was raised by his paternal aunt and uncle, Phyllis Knapp Jennings and William Jennings of

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

. According to documents held at the Saanich Archives, the Knapp's and Jennings families, which included Frank Jennings and Elizabeth Walkden Jennings, all immigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

together from

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

on the ship

RMS Empress of Britain (1906) RMS ''Empress of Britain'' was a transatlantic crossing, transatlantic ocean liner built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company at Govan on the River Clyde, Clyde in Scotland in 1905–1906The disambiguation date used in this arti ...

in 1911. The same documents reveal that the family had an extensive background in horticulture and operated green houses in Victoria. Art Knapp founded the Knapp's Victoria Nurseries at 716 Fort Street in the early 1940s. This store later relocated to Yates Street by 1945. He later started auctioning plants, trees and shrubs from the back of his truck in empty lots around

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

in the early 1950s. He opened the first Art Knapp's Garden Spot on Kingsway in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

and later sold the first franchise of the store to

Bill Vander Zalm William Nicholas Vander Zalm (born Wilhelmus Nicholaas Theodore Marie van der Zalm; May 29, 1934) is a Dutch-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as the 28th premier of British Columbia and leader of the British Columbia Social ...

in 1953. The business continued to expand as more franchises were sold to others, including Frank Van Hest, who owned and operated the location in

Richmond, British Columbia Richmond is a city in the coastal Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly a suburban city, it occupies almost the entirety of Lulu Island (excluding Queensborough, New Westminster, Queensborough), between the two estuarine dis ...

from the early 1970s. Today there are 15 Art Knapp Stores located throughout British Columbia. Knapp had 5 children and spent his retirement years in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

External links

Saanich Archives

Art Knapp Plantland and Florist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knapp, Art People from Victoria, British Columbia Businesspeople from British Columbia 1914 births 1991 deaths Place of death missing