Townsend Flower Shop Changes Hands
Author: MT 43 News Staff Reporter
Townsend Flower Shop Changes Hands
MT 43 News Staff Reporter
Flower arranger Lisa Higgins decided she was ready for a change several months ago. September 1, she sold Broadwater Blooms to Margit Stahl.
Lisa and her mom Karen started the business” from scratch” with no experience in 2017. Lisa took flower arranging classes while she ran a very small shop in the Professional Building next to Reading Leaves Bookstore. They were in that location for five years before moving to the present location on Broadway.
Lisa had a couple of bites to sell the business but nothing concrete. “I was in the mood to sell, but the opportunity to sell a unique business like a flower shop does not come along often,” she explained.
Enter Margit Stahl. Margit, originally from Budapest, Hungary, by her own description is creative with flowers. “I have no experience, but I love to try new things, and I’m a quick learner,” she laughed.
Lisa will be staying on as an employee through the busy holiday season. Meantime her former mentor will come to the shop to train Margit. Lisa’s aunt, who was a florist, will come to the shop during Valentine’s Day to help Margit learn the trade as well.
Margit came to the US from Budapest in 1999 with only a suitcase in her hand. She came to New York City just out of high school. She attended Hunter College where she learned English and received her chemistry degree. She worked for a pharmaceutical company, but when she met her husband Eric online, they married and came West. She has lived in Townsend for three years thanks to Eric’s love of flyfishing. While her plans include beautiful floral arrangements as usual, she has new ideas such as adding more gifts, home crafts and interior decorations. “But mostly I want to focus on beautiful flowers for weddings, funerals and everything in between,” she said.
In that vein, Margit’s plans to reserve a consulting room for customers to sit down and explain just what they would like for flower arrangements so they can think uninterrupted and she can be more focused on their desires.
Lisa is nostalgic about selling the business, though she realized it had taken over her life. She said the business would not have thrived without great help from her mom and family, from her employees, her delivery volunteers and most importantly her customers. “Especially during COVID customers ordered flowers, sometimes weekly, to cheer their family or their employees. Had it not been for those constant buyers, Broadwater Blooms would not have survived,” she said.
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PhotoCredit: Nancy Marks, MT43 News Photographer
Image 1 Caption: Lisa Higgins and new Broadwater Blooms owner Margit Stahl pose in front of the newly painted business building.
Nancy Marks, MT43 News Photographer
