In 1951 a flower shop was built in Spooner where it still stands today, on Highway 53/63 south of town. It had a small display area, a work area and two greenhouses.
It was originally owned by Lawrence and Mable Jorgensen, then Bill and Elvera Jorgensen, Val and Mel Lindeman, Mary and Phil Kirkwood, the Barrett’s and now, since 2009, Jody Lawson and her husband.
But Jody wasn’t drawn to floral work early in life. When she graduated from a South St. Paul high school, she high-tailed it to Hertel because her parents had a hobby farm there, and most importantly, by spending time in the little town, she met her future husband and knew her future was with him.
And, according to Jody, Hertel was considerably larger than the spit-in-the-road it is today with a store, a post office and a family restaurant and bar.
They married, he a masonry man and she, with a degree in accounting, was employed by the Spooner Hospital for 25 years, working her way up the ladder to Business Director. They also were raising two kids.
She loved math and numbers, but after a life-time of being indoors and working for others, she decided to do something totally different with her life; hence Pine Street floral and Gift Inc.
In 2003, she and her husband bought the house to the west of the Holiday station in Spooner; he did the remodeling and she, along with a daughter, opened their floral and gift business and ran it for five years.
Then a computer company came calling, offering her a job working with hospitals and traveling throughout the US. She jumped at the chance and thoroughly enjoyed not only the travel, but also the sites she saw; crossing many off of her bucket list.
By 2009 she was ready to be home and self-employed, but now her right-hand daughter was involved with her own husband and children, so, in 2009, the Lawson’s purchased the Indianhead Floral Garden and Gifts and started on the remodeling of the building, changing it completely.
Now the ceiling in much higher and vaulted with a scattering of generous sky lights that bathe the room in natural daylight and an office has been added in a loft-like setting.
But in a world relying on Pinterest to demonstrate how to arrange your own silk flowers and even paper flowers for weddings, did anyone still want real thing?
“Half of our work is for funerals and the other half are the every-day flowers that are purchased for birthdays, anniversaries, Best Mom, Sorry to Hear You’re Ill, etc.”
They still do wedding work from the boutonnières to the corsages’ to whatever style the bride wants for her bouquet and the bouquets of the bride’s maids. “Weddings seem to be getting smaller now,” she says; “maybe only a couple of bride’s maids”.
Now that destination weddings have become so popular, like the ones held in old barns, or summer cabins, or lakeside, it’s easier for people coming from the Twin Cities and Chicago to order all the wedding flowers from Indianhead, who also delivers.
This year, the blush muted tones are popular along with the off whites. Hydrangeas are the key flower this year with its large lacy flower heads.
The greenhouses always do well despite the trucked -in plants at the big box store behind them. “We order our seeds in October and start planting them in flats during February. We choose area hearty seeds and carry an entire line of vegetables and herbs.”
They now have five greenhouses and they are full to overflowing before the big spring push along with lots and lots of porch pots and hanging baskets and when the season is over, they stand empty and forlorn waiting for February when they will be full again.
When a funeral order comes in, they do their best to customize the arrangement, often using some memento from the family that honors the person. They’ve incorporated a beautiful wheat bundle into an arrangement because the woman made one each year and took one to the fair, winning every time. They’ve used small tractors and Jody has even driven t the Twin Cities to find the perfect plants if the funeral is held before their flower truck arrives, demonstrating that personal service is important to them.
The cemetery urns remain a constant item. The flower shop services seven cemeteries and from Memorial Day through October will supply deer and drought resistant filled standing planters and this is often where standard silk flowers come in handy, especially if there is no local family member that’s local to tend the real flowers. They place the display in the spring and take it down each fall.
Table displays are very popular at both Christmas and Thanksgiving and there is a plethora of outdoor wreaths, both standard and custom for Christmas decorating.
There are gifts galore keeping with the season,
As well as gifts for all occasions.
There are lots of things to see at the flower shop, including real honest to goodness flowers. Not only that, there is a beautifully earthy smell that permeates the building when you open the door, encouraging you to come on in and see what’s new.
You can find more information on their website, Indianhead Floral Garden and Gifts or find them on Facebook.
To contact them, Monday through Friday from 8:30 am until 5:00 pm, or on Saturday’s from 8:30 am until 2:00 pm, call 715-635-3543.
Last Update: Jul 16, 2017 10:17 am CDT
