After 42 years of providing Blossoms and Keepsakes for her customers, Jeri Ryan is ready to retire-- well, sort of! "I'll miss the customers coming in, looking for that perfect gift, or bouquet of flowers. I will especially miss the Christmas season." says Jeri. As you may know, Jeri has had the pleasure of decorating the Governor's mansion in St. Paul, and many trees in Rochester's Mayo Civic Center at the Festival of Trees. She also decorated for the holidays at Edgewood Restaurant for Don Hernke for many years.
The store still boasts a wide variety of Christmas decor, poinsettias, and even holiday napkins to grace your special dinners this year. But wait!! There is a huge sale going on from now until December 20th. 50% off many items, and there is a lot more than just Christmas decorations! Clothing, food items to make the holiday dips and drinks, jewelry for that special someone who is so hard to buy for, specialty candy produced locally, and live plants to bring cheer any time of the year! Everything but the plants and food items are on sale!
As I was talking to Jeri about her decision to retire, Kim Froyum popped in to pick up some decorations and look for gifts. " There are always treasures to find here," she said. "I will miss coming in for that special something." Kim picked out a beautiful white poinsettia in a pot, holiday napkins, stocking stuffers and Christmas embellishments for her tree. I can attest to the fact that Kim's tree will be awesome! Come in and check out the selection for your holiday decor!
Jeri started her journey into the world of flowers and gifts when Sherree Van De Walker sold her the shop that was on Main Street back then. After about 10 years in that location, she moved to her current space at 125 2nd street E in Wanamingo, and rents her space from Henry Syverson. She built her business to accommodate her customers' needs, and it just kept evolving.
When I asked her how she came to the decision to retire, she said," It was a lot of little things. First, Henry told me that he was thinking about retirement himself, and may sell the building." Then, this past year, she has had some health issues to deal with, and some travel plans she is looking forward to. But the biggest part, I think, was her desire to spend more time with her grandkids while they are still young. We all know they grow up way too fast, and we won't ever get that time back!
So, Jeri would like to say thank you to all her customers who grew the business with her. She invites you all to come in and browse through her selections until the end of December. Her hours right now are Fridays from 1 to 5, and Saturdays from 9 to 12. You can check out her personal facebook page for other dates and times. Some Saturday hours may vary. After December, she will be selling her flower business ribbons, vases, etc, to other florists, so come in while the stock is still available, and get a great deal!
