Photos: Chris Emeott
Kim and Mark Bauer realize their dream with Floristry North.
Floristry North, a recent addition to downtown White Bear Lake, is a vibrant hub for creative expression. Owners and area residents Kim and Mark Bauer are sharing their passions and talents with locally sourced blooms, unique workshops and walk-in experiences.
The shop is a dream in the making for Kim, whose journey in the industry began at her family’s floral business more than 30 years ago. In the years since, she’s worked with many notable Twin Cities florists, including Lexington Floral & Boutique. When Lexington closed its doors last year, Kim realized a door had been opened in her own life. The Bauers launched Floristry North last September. “It was an opportunity to branch out and fill in some spots I saw a lack in, at least in the local floral industry,” Kim says. “I wanted to expand my own ideas and offer the style, design and quality that people are looking for.”
Kim and Mark Bauer
Floristry North offers guided floral design workshops led by experienced designers that cover topics like flower selection, and bouquet and centerpiece arranging. Kim shares that these workshops provide a fun bonding activity, and she hopes to host a Mother’s Day workshop that’s ideal for gifting a shared experience.
Floristry North’s do-it-yourself wedding floristry package has become a popular offering. “Brides can come to us with their ideas, and they can choose the level of help they want from me as a designer,” Kim says. Bridal parties have loved the opportunity to craft their bouquets together. “We’ve even had grooms in here making bouquets,” Kim says.
Floristry North offers visitors many ways to create, including a custom candle making experience.
The personal touches are key, and Kim wants customers to embrace the intention behind handmade gifts. “There’s something about [saying], ‘I made this for you,’ rather than ‘I bought this for you.’ I think people appreciate being able to do that, and our space is very intentional to allow people to do it,” she says.
Flowers are the focus at Floristry North, and owner Kim Bauer has created unique ways for customers to engage, including a do-it-yourself wedding floristry package.
Floristry North’s custom candle experience, available as a private class or for walk-ins, is another of Kim’s inspired ideas. With flowers often appearing in homes via scented candles, Kim created an opportunity for customers to discover and create one-of-a-kind scents. “People can pick three to four different scents that they think would go well together, and then together we go through the process of testing,” Kim says. The result is unique and sustainably sourced soy wax blend candles made by delighted customers.
Kim loves her newfound freedom as a business owner and is embracing the potential to bring people together in the community. “I get to do what I feel that I’m best at, and I hope that other people appreciate it too,” she says.
Mark agrees, “Having so much direct contact with our customers in a welcoming environment is a part of business ownership that I didn’t really take into account before we had the opportunity to experience it.”
Floristry North
Instagram: @floristrynorth
