Flower Shops Minneapolis MN

Minneapolis MN Press

Current DJ Mary Lucia stalker gets probation, told to stay away

County jail) The man who stalked The Current host Mary Lucia will spend a decade on probation and be barred from coming within 10 blocks of her Minneapolis home or St. Paul workplace. Patrick Henry Kelly, 56, of Eden Prairie also was sentenced Wednesday to 270 days in the county workhouse, but was released because of credit for time served. He was ordered to pay more than $9,000 in restitution. The stalking began in early 2014, after Kelly emailed Lucia at work to tell her his dog had died. Lucia, a self-professed animal lover, responded sympathetically. Kelly followed with a deluge of communication; he continued to write, sent packages to her workplace and Minnesota Public Radio and contacted her on her private cellphone. He continued to contact her after she got a restraining order; he showed up at her home with flowers and left things such as letters, a candle and a bottle of wine. Lucia took a leave of absence while the case played out, returning to the air in November. In Hennepin County District Court on Wednesday, Lucia said she lived in fear of where Kelly would show up next. "I would dread going to work to see what horror had been dropped off," she said. She said she spent months locked in her home, couldn't sleep or eat, kept a baseball bat by her bed and suffered panic attacks that sent her to the emergency room. http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_29326718/current-dj-mary-lucias-stalker-gets-probation

Florist adds dash of unconventional beauty

Ruhland receives flower shipments twice a week from a wholesaler in Minneapolis and includes nontraditional flowers and plants in her order. In the summer, she sources flowers locally from Achala Aull, a grower located north of Bismarck. “The traditional items are nice and classic and beautiful, but it’s the nontraditional ones that are going to add punch and add a ‘wow’ factor,” Ruhland said. “As florists, if we don’t expose people to those different varieties of flowers, then people have no idea what’s out there … and how can they know they want it if they don’t know it exists?” A West Fargo native, Ruhland graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in landscape architecture in 2008, in the midst of an economic downturn. While job hunting, she signed up for classes at Koehler and Dramm’s Institute of Floristry in Minneapolis, and what began as a hobby soon developed into a full-time profession. After spending five years arranging flowers for weddings and events from her home, Ruhland opened Crapabble Floral’s downtown location in September 2013. Crabapple shares a Main Avenue storefront with ACO (A Creative Outlet), a gift shop that would not be out of place among the hipsters in Brooklyn, with the exception of the “I Heart Lefse” magnets and “Uff Da” dishtowels. Steph Smith, the owner of ACO, invited Ruhland to share her space when she was seeking a partner to keep the store open ... http://bismarcktribune.com/florist-adds-dash-of-unconventional-beauty/article_e97bf9af-cf64-5ee6-aa32-70bbe64c1ba7.html

Tavern with live music replacing Waconia florist shop

Jeff Norling and his business partner Jim Nelson. In the 1990s, Norling was CEO of two companies that ran cafes at corporate campuses in downtown Minneapolis and the southwestern suburbs. Shady Oak Estates Norling and Nelson bought the First Street building in August. They plan to use private financing to convert the 3,300-square-foot ground floor space that used to be a florist shop into a 120-seat eatery with a full bar. Norling described Tavern 387 as a gastropub that will offer American standards with an upscale twist. Tavern 387 will also offer live music on a regular basis. Consultant Tobie Nidetz has been hired to help round out the menu. Nidetz's client list includes The Sample Room in Minneapolis, the St. Paul-based Green Mill chain and Bloomington's Ciao Bella. If all goes according to plan, Sondergaard Forcier of Victoria will likely begin construction in July. The upstairs apartments will remain. Want Minneapolis / St. Paul Retailing & Restaurants news in your inbox?Sign up for our free email newsletters. http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2015/04/15/tavern-387-waconia-gastropub-norling-nelson.html