Flexy’s Fruit Stand has deep roots and big plans

How a family legacy is creating loyal customers in Cranbrook

Carter Flexhaug brings fresh, locally sourced produce to the Cranbrook community with his stand that runs seven days a week in the Top Crop Garden, Farm & Pet parking lot. — Kerry Shellborn photo

At 14, Carter Flexhaug was already running a fruit stand on his own in Nelson, B.C., continuing a family tradition that began in the 1960s. Now in his early 20s, he’s brought that legacy to Cranbrook and turned Flexy’s Fruit Stand into a thriving local fixture. What began with pop-up tents and a sports car has grown into a full-scale business with a refrigerated trailer, support staff, and a devoted customer base.

Flexhaug’s success came from immense dedication, long hours, and a clear sense of purpose. He sources top-quality produce, works seven days a week, and makes late-night supply runs to keep the stand fully stocked. He’s also found ways to give back, donating thousands of dollars in fruit to the Cranbrook Food Bank. After earning the title of Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023, Flexhaug continues to expand and improve—proving that commitment and community focus can take a small business a long way. We caught up with him to hear more about his journey and what’s next for Flexy’s Fruit Stand.

Could you tell me about the genesis of the business? Where did you get the idea to start a fruit stand?

It probably started when I was as young as 12, doing small tasks at my dad’s fruit stand in Nelson. He runs a Flexy’s as well. I’d spend time there with him when I was little, and then as I got older, he’d have me help bag vegetables and do other small jobs. By the time I was 14, he’d leave me there to run things on my own for the day. I learned the business pretty quickly doing that. I did it for a few summers and picked up a lot of experience.

So running fruit stands is a family tradition?

Yeah, it’s been in our family since the 1960s. Even when my dad was young—around the age I was when I started—he was helping his uncle Richard with fruit stands. So he learned it young too. This year marks my dad’s 25th season running his stand in Nelson.

You learned the ropes in Nelson. Why did you choose Cranbrook as a place to expand?

I felt like Cranbrook didn’t have a lot of great options for fresh fruit and vegetables outside of the main grocery stores. When I first came over, it seemed like a busy little city with a lot of potential. It’s still close enough to home, and I’ve got some friends and family here for support. Plus, it’s near Creston, so I can source produce from there as well. I thought it would be a good location to try out.

How has the local community in Cranbrook treated you?

They’ve been amazing. I’ve received a lot of support and great feedback. People are always really happy to see me come back each year—they tell me how grateful they are. That kind of response makes me want to work even harder, offer more variety, and improve the service I provide.

What do you enjoy about being an entrepreneur? What makes you excited to get up in the morning?

I really enjoy the self-reliance and independence. The more energy and effort I put in, the more I get back out of it. I love waking up and giving it my all. Right now, I’m working seven days a week—it’s a lot, but it’s worth it when I can offer something great to my customers.

What’s your typical summer season timeline?

I usually open around mid-June and go until the end of September. So it’s about three to three and a half months. But there's a lot of prep work before I open—painting signs, organizing contacts, and getting everything ready. And at the end of the season, there’s a big shutdown process too. So really, it’s closer to four to four-and-a-half months of solid work.

My workday usually starts around 8:30 a.m. so I can get everything set up before customers arrive at 9:00. I close at 6:00 p.m., but often I’m there after hours tidying up or prepping for the next day. For example, just last night I closed at 6:00 but drove to Creston afterward to pick up strawberries and didn’t get back until 10:00. Another time, I was low on cherries, and my dad’s cousin—who runs a fruit stand in Alberta—was coming through. I met up with her at 1:30 a.m. to grab 15 boxes of cherries so I could keep my stock up.

And the stand is open seven days a week?

Yep, every day all summer—except for some stat holidays when Top Crop is closed. Other than that, I’m there all season.

It sounds like a great synergy—you’re set up at Top Crop, so people get their plants and can pick up some fruit too.

Yeah, it works really well. Top Crop Garden, Farm & Pet customers will come over to me, and I bring in customers for them too. It’s a great partnership—people interested in fresh produce, whether they’re growing it or buying it, tend to stop by both.

So what’s on the horizon for Flexy’s?

Well, since this is my third season here, I’ve already made a lot of improvements. When I started, I had four little 10x10 pop-up tents—the kind you get from Costco. I didn’t realize how windy it was in Cranbrook, so pretty quickly I had to keep re-bolting them down. The wind would try to rip the bolts right out of the cement! It wasn’t like that in Nelson, so I wasn’t prepared for it.

By halfway through that first summer, the tents were tearing from the wind. I had to upgrade to a 20x20 tent. At the same time, I didn’t even own a truck—I was using my old high school sports car to pick up produce in Creston!

Now I’ve also started doing entrepreneurial things in the off-season. I run a small freeze-dried food business back home in Nelson, and I also buy and sell trading cards—like Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering—on eBay and Facebook Marketplace. Just little side hustles to stay busy.

Now that you’ve had a bit of time to think about the future, are you planning to upgrade your license for a refrigerated truck?

Yeah, that’s one of my next steps. I need to get my air brake ticket and upgrade to a higher class of license so I can drive larger trucks. Eventually, I’d like to drive to the Okanagan myself to pick up produce.

This past year, I reinvested my earnings into the business and bought a 7x14 cargo trailer. I gutted it completely—down to just the aluminum frame—had it spray-foamed, and installed a walk-in cooler system. I didn’t do the refrigeration part myself; my dad’s friend, who’s a refrigeration mechanic, installed the cooler.

So you have a refrigerated trailer now?

Yeah, but it’s stationary—I use it to store all my produce in Cranbrook. Before that, I had a little 5x10 trailer, and it would be packed to the roof. I’d open the door and the produce would be right up against it! I definitely needed more space.

Eventually, I might invest in another trailer with a generator so I can haul it around and keep things cool on the road. Or I might just get a larger truck. I’m still weighing the options.

You're still a relatively young entrepreneur, although you've been working a long time already. What advice would you give to others starting out?

My advice would be: you don’t need to have everything figured out before you start. That was a struggle for me. I had lots of ideas, but it was hard to act on them because there were always so many questions.

But I’ve found it’s better to just jump in and figure things out as you go. Have a solid base and plan, sure—but the main thing is to start. Learn from your mistakes and keep going. Just try different things and eventually, something will stick.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

In 2023, I was actually awarded Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce, which was a huge honour. It felt really good to be recognized like that, especially in my first full season here.
Also, something I’m pretty proud of—we were able to donate around $10,000 worth of fruit to the Cranbrook Food Bank last year. I think it’s important to give back to the community that supports me, and making sure people have access to fresh produce is something that really matters to me.