Introducing the New Chapter for the Flower Shop at 38th and Grand
Photo from the Fleurs de Lee website
Have you noticed just how nice it is to have flowers around? Me too! Darwin Lee, the new owner of the flower shop at 38th and Grand, renamed Fleurs De Lee sat down with me to chat about his dream turned reality. He’s looking to bring a new touch (the shop now includes nick nacks, plants, photography business cards, and coming soon, jewelry!) while honoring the history of the previous shop in the space, Petersen’s Flowers.
Photo taken by Sarah LeDoux (whose cards are at the shop)
A retired public school teacher of 29 years, Darwin spent most of his career teaching the fourth and fifth grades in Lyndale, Kenny, and Kenwood Minneapolis. The decision to purchase Petersen’s Flowers from the previous owners and create Fleurs De Lee was very smooth, at least from what I could tell. He explained to me that he has always had a passion for gardening and as a child, his favorite local shop was the garden store. When he was a teacher, he planted gardens for the students and has even won awards for his gardening skills!
Photo taken by Sarah LeDoux
He lives near Fleurs De Lee so whenever he would walk his dog he would see Petersen’s and always admired the business. As his children got married, they asked him to provide and organize their wedding flowers. In some ways, this started his path to becoming the owner of Fleurs De Lee. Darwin purchased the flowers for these weddings through Petersen’s as the owner was very willing to help him. As Darwin got to know the owner better, it was revealed that he was looking to sell Petersen’s and Darwin thought this seemed like a natural opportunity to purchase the business.
Photo taken by Jo Ann Lee
Fleurs De Lee is more than a flower shop in what it offers as a brick and mortar space - it has an inspiring message and motivations. Darwin shared that one of his teaching colleagues noted:
“Every kid that walked into your classroom knew that they were welcome.” He wants this to be the same for his business. His business isn’t just about buying and selling flowers, it is “to have people feel good about what they get [flowers] and that it makes them feel good.”
Photo taken by Sarah LeDoux
I could truly sense this, referencing many quotes from our conversation to support this idea. His passion is so strong that Darwin just wants people to feel good and hopes that he can break even. When I asked Darwin what people can do to support his business, he talked about how “[he]’s not in it to make a fortune” and pivoted the question to explain how this new business may benefit the community: “especially with COVID-19 and everything, I encourage you to treat yourself to some flowers! It’ll lift your spirits a little bit.” And who knows, it may even become a weekly ritual to stop into the Fleurs De Lee flower shop for a fresh cut to add into the home.
For more information: check out their website or call the shop at 612-823-7311.
For more local stories like these and for our latest experiences and collaborations, subscribe to receive our newsletter here.