Chisholm's Lake Street Floral Changes Hands, New Owner Vows Continuity

Ellie Bramblett, a 23-year-old Chisholm native, took ownership of Lake Street Floral on April 1, becoming one of the city's youngest business owners and inheriting a downtown shop that Mike and Mary Pogorelc built over more than 33 years at 204 West Lake Street.

The Pogorelcs opened the business as Mary's Lake Street Floral on August 15, 1992, and officially retired March 31. Bramblett had spent the four years prior being personally trained by Mary in every aspect of the operation, from floral design to customer accounts. The shop's name contracts by one word under new ownership, dropping "Mary's" to mark the change while keeping the identity customers recognize.

For the shop's regulars, the transition is intentionally seamless. Hours remain 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday. The phone number, 218-254-2165, is unchanged. Fresh arrangements, sympathy pieces, event florals, and the shop's gift selection all continue without interruption, as does same-day local delivery to Chisholm and surrounding communities.

Mary Pogorelc, a Central Lakes College graduate with a degree in Floral Design and Management, brought 46 years of floral experience to the shop she and Mike built. Her last act before stepping away was characteristically understated: a spring bouquet for her 93-year-old mother, Joan Grewe. "I want to make a nice spring bouquet for my mom," she said.

A photograph sitting on the shop's counter captures just how deep the roots of this handoff run. It shows Bramblett as a child, holding a bouquet that Mary made. That image now sits at the register of a business Bramblett owns.

Looking ahead, Bramblett plans to modernize point-of-sale systems, refresh the retail displays, and build a stronger social-media presence to draw new customers and support event bookings. She is also reaching out to area event planners and Chisholm's tourism partners ahead of wedding season. Keeping a full-service florist active on West Lake Street matters for Iron Range weddings and funerals, but also for the day-to-day foot traffic that sustains the businesses around it.