Like other Minnesota retailers, our local flower shops have been pummeled by the COVID-19 shutdown. Weddings and funerals were postponed or cancelled; lucrative contracts with cultural institutions and hospitality firms were frozen or lost. Major disruptions in the floral supply chain presented additional hurdles. Yet they persevered.
When flower shops were told they couldn’t accept walk-ins, many switched to curbside pickup and contactless delivery. Florists shifted their flower-arranging classes online; others took to Instagram to show people at home how they could fashion D.I.Y. bouquets from wildflowers harvested in their own backyard. In short, they turned a lousy situation into something beautiful.
What follows is a roundup of some of our favorite flower shops in the Twin Cities (with a bonus pick in Duluth). From Mother’s Day to anniversaries to charming lil’ pick-me-ups, these florists deliver in spades.
Ergo Floral
516 Selby Ave., St. Paul, MN; 651-292-9562.
Ergo’s Pavé, Modernist, and Fleur-style bouquets are knock-yer-socks-off pretty, but you can also select your own blooms from the in-store Stem Bar and ask a staffer to arrange them for you. The vase options here are hipper than average (to wit: this artisan arrangement, which comes in a cool ceramic vessel from local potter Francis Pineda-Fischer of Sandwich Ceramics). For gift recipients with a green thumb, the shop sells a broad selection of low-, medium-, and bright-light plants, including foxtail ferns and pilea. Can’t trust ’em to water anything? Consider a bohemian dried ring wreath or terrarium cloche kit. Delivery is available throughout the metro area six days a week and free for orders of $100 or more. Ergo also offers wedding services and private workshops (minimum eight people) in floral arranging, wreath and garland making, and terrarium building.
Spruce Flowers & Home
1621 E. Hennepin Ave., Ste. 225, Minneapolis, MN; 612-767-1101.
This “new-fashioned” flower design studio delivers six days a week throughout the Twin Cities metro, including Plymouth, Wayzata, Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, and Eagan; it’s also open for curbside pickup. Arrangements are available in classic, modern, and whimsical styles, and the vases are pure elegance. Stumped over what to get? We love the monochromatic Loring arrangement (pictured above), made with sunny green hydrangea, trick dianthus, and succulents tops. Spruce moved its popular floral arranging classes online during COVID-19 (sign up for home schooling here), but they’re still doing weddings (services from $3,000).
Ediflorial
612-807-0435; amber@ediflorial.com
Ediflorial founder Amber Newman is down for designing weddings, baby showers, dinner parties, photo shoots, and whatever else you can dream up. Among her more unique offerings: this botanical moon wall hanging made of dried flowers and moss, perfect for a nursery or office nook. Newman also throws fun, all-inclusive tea parties for ten, incorporating vintage china, empanadas from Quebracho and other locally sourced fare, seasonal teas, and a bounty of fresh blooms. Need flowers on the reg? Join Ediflorial’s Flower Club for 100 percent locally, sustainably grown bouquets, dropped off weekly at a clutch of Twin Cities pickup sites.
Bouquets by Carolyn
920 Selby Ave., St. Paul, MN, 651-487-8122.
Opened in 1990, this was the first floral business in the Twin Cities founded by an African American woman. (That’d be namesake Carolyn Smaller.) From weddings and funerals to gift baskets and anniversary arrangements, her team tackles it all. Shout-out to this punchy bouquet of vibrant crimson gerberas, which could cheer up any room.
Northerly Flora
northerlyflora@gmail.com
This quarter-acre sustainable urban farm in South Minneapolis wholesales to local florists but also decorates weddings and events. It is best known for its organic Flower CSA. Folks who buy a share receive a locally grown, fresh-cut bouquet every week from July through September; the 10-week CSA costs $210 but is already sold out for 2020.
Iron Violets Design Studio
612-361-9083; ironviolets@gmail.com
A St. Paul staple, Iron Violets is a go-to if you love the classics: happy-go-lucky sunflowers, dusty pink roses, tranquil tulips, etc. For something a bit wilder, the Miss Ivy & Sage arrangement is a real showstopper — bundled with fresh garden kale and sedum, burgundy minis, peach hypericum berries, and belles of Ireland. Optional add-ons include latex and Mylar balloons and locally made leather growlers. Note: This is the only flower shop in the Twin Cities offering metro-wide delivery seven days a week until 10 p.m.
Apricot Floral Design
hello@designapricot.com
This sweet little studio delivers arrangements (from $65 with a vase or $35 without) on Thursdays and Fridays to the Minneapolis metro area. A floral subscription is available for $75 per week or $75 per month; all flowers are sourced in Minneapolis, supporting local farmers or grown in founder Genevieve Wilson’s own backyard.
Studio Emme
612-886-3774; hello@studioemme.us
The South Minneapolis studio is temporarily closed due to COVID-19, but owner Molly Yee is still delivering flowers (Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.) and offering curbside pickup. You can also find her hand-tied bouquets and letterpress cards for sale at Keg & Case Market in St. Paul. Designer’s Choice bouquets are the only option at the moment, with seasonally minded arrangements featuring peonies, hyacinth, snapdragons, delphinium, and myrtle. Yee also offers personalized wedding and event design.
A Paper Florist
612-756-9499; apaperflorist@gmail.com
While not a florist in the traditional sense, we’re still crazy in love with the hyper-realistic paper blooms from artist Anna Gaseitsiwe. Her exquisitely hand-crafted poppies (pictured above), magnolia branches, fruit tree blossoms, dahlias, English garden roses, and Dutch iris are made-to-order and can typically ship within one to two weeks. She also accepts custom orders and hosts online workshops.
Flora North
1925 W. Superior St., Duluth, MN; 218-279-3444.
This darling gift shop and floral design studio in Duluth’s Lincoln Park Craft District is a must-see if you’re headed to the North Shore (or lucky enough to live up there). Many of the blooms are regionally sourced; the boutique also sells stylish home decor, vintage planters, greeting cards, candles, and organic chocolates. Its Congdon Garden masterpiece, presented in a mercury glass vase (pictured above), recalls a romantic English garden. Orchidscape is better for minimalists. Flora North’s delivery area covers most of Duluth and the Lake Superior area within a 15-mile radius of the shop. Classes are on hold for now, but the team still offers wedding services.
