Minnesota Mainstay

Ellen C. Wells

In this business, it’s normal for operations to be 50, 60 or even 80 years old. That’s why Bachman’s Floral, Home and Garden’s celebration of 140 years is so extraordinary! Bachman’s has been serving the Twin Cities region (that would be Minneapolis, St. Paul and their environs) since 1885, making it one of Minnesota’s oldest family owned businesses.

It all started as many stores in our industry do—maybe even your own—as a vegetable farm. As the story goes, Henry Bachman Sr. gave each of his five sons a portion of the garden to grow whatever they would like. Son Albert decided to grow carnations for his mother and would also sell them at the nearby cemetery. (It’s not called Bachman’s Vegetable Farm, so you know which son’s garden offerings quickly rose to the top.)

“For 140 years, we have been honored to serve Minnesotans throughout all of life’s events, from births to weddings to anniversaries, funerals and everything in between, celebrating triumphs and providing comfort during challenging times,” said Susan Bachman West, CEO and President of Bachman’s, and one of three members of the family’s fifth generation involved in the business. “We are grateful to our customers for welcoming us into their lives over the past 14 decades and we look forward to continuing to be a part of the community for decades to come.”

There are six Bachman’s Floral, Garden and Gift locations in Minneapolis, St. Paul and surrounding suburbs, and 28 floral departments within Lunds & Byerlys grocery stores. The flagship retail location in Minneapolis sits right near the original homestead where Albert first started growing flowers. Much of the plant material they sell is grown locally in their 7 acres of greenhouses and the 670-acre growing range in Farmington. And they operate an events and weddings department, a wholesale nursery, and interior and exterior landscaping divisions, too. Bachman’s is busy!

But they weren’t too busy to throw themselves and their customers a 140th birthday bash on June 14 at all their garden center retail locations. Congratulations and cheers to a well-earned celebration on this momentous milestone!  

The Bachman’s Lyndale store with its delivery trucks lined up and Luella, Carolyn, Addie and Marion Bachman tending to Easter lilies, just one of the many duties they assumed during war time.

Did You Know?
Here’s a fun fact: Department 56, the well-known line of villages and figurines, began at Bachman’s. It spun off in 1984 as its own company and then sold to a new company in 1992 formed by Department 56 management and New York-based Forstmann Little & Company. GP