So you went out to get her some killer flowers of a kind originating in say Kashmir — high but not in-the-desert dry as the only thing on your list, that’s filled with this and that — mixed in with those from all around our country, but that was not enough.
A cache of chocolate? And also candles? Creatively make it into a combo? Hey, she’ll cater to the crafts you’ll find here, coming for The Kinni. And extend the gift idea, even if its for other people or occasions or even rewarding yourself, much further with a bunch of newly added brands of bubbly? With wind chimes, and (rough)hewn woodworking that’s either vintage or original, also chiming in? And as they say, so much more. All under one roof in a big for River Falls bonafide floral and gift and design center, at what you could call Powers Flowers.
This is so varied and special that even if visiting from another village, say in the Twin Cities, you might want to stop off just blocks before getting to the main tourist district and take care of all your gift-giving business. Maybe why you’re here, need a quick housewarming present or two? And a makeup gift for back at home if you stayed in River Falls enjoying its various amenities way too long, as people tend to do here? Or were here, there or anywhere in the two-county area for one of its many music festivals, and needed a shopping respite between sets?
— Film it and they will come, and maybe with their own and additional camera!
The other night in downtown Hudson, just beyond the Heading East cross-street sidewalk to a main drag road, there was a great big white tarp to be seen. About double the size of a lane in basketball, if at a sports bar. So just what was going on here, causing a street be be basically shut down at that eastern edge? I didn’t think it was the typical construction — as after all this is Hudson and there are some killer posts coming on that topic — but I just had an inkling about the ilk to be found …
So I asked one of the two “extras” who were hanging around on the sidelines. Oh, we are filming a commercial! With Common Council prior OK, I am assuming. Hudson likes its Discovery thing, when it comes to tourism type thingees. There was a guy positioning himself around with a camera, but for the moment at least, a noticeable lack of props. Just that great big and burgeoning heap of plastic piece, with bright lights and big city beaming directly onto it, ten feet east of said sidewalk.
This was at about 9 p.m. on a Thursday. Huh, kinda cool, so then I made my way over to Ziggy’s to take in some music. And then coming back, 45 minutes and one set later, there was still work going on and even the start of some actual filming. Standing at street-corner-side was a guy in uniform, talking to someone. Not sure if it was an actual local cop or a security dude.
Then next day, walking down the opposite side on the same street, on a very close-by street-corner, there was a very fashionable young woman also carrying a camera, the big old school kind, not a glorified cell phone. She had on a barely-there tank top and trademark baggy PJ type pants, a look that often goes together these days. She could have been in front of the camera, primping and preening on the sidewalk.
Like the previous night, I made my way on down, to the convenience store, and on the way back spied her again, scouting out prey with her camera. —
So build me up a design, buttercup, to paraphrase a popular flora-focused song?
Enter Bo Jon’s Flowers and Gifts. As a family-owned business with a tremendously broad scope, they are capable of — and indeed relish the thought of — creating exquisite arrangements of flora and beyond, while intertwining countless styles across countless countries that include the traditional, garden style, high style, and to incorporate specific brand names, ikebana, Biedermeier designs, Hogarth curve designs, Western Line designs and many more. Whew. Their experienced designers can create everyday arrangements, wedding and special event designs and installations along with stunning funeral pieces, they say. Also offered, just as importantly, are a wide range of gift items including many specialty chocolates, now even wine and beer, tropical houseplants, wooden crafts, local art and candles. As far as their big plans for expanding, they’ll be offering delivery into the Woodbury, Stillwater, Oak Park Heights and Afton areas, while still ironing out exact details. Their large crew — I even recognized an old neighbor from North Hudson, behind the counter and in one of the main floral assembly areas — agree that they love offering products from many favorite small businesses, whether located in the St. Croix Valley or Texas, or parts in-between. “Let our design team work with you to honor the relationships and moments that mean the most to you,” they emphasize, quite emphatically.
The cordial, very helpful and detail oriented young man who answered the phone, promptly, then wrote every word of my long note onto his notebook, is one of the members of the five-person family who carry on a tradition forged by a number of prior owners over many years, and now run the Bo Jon’s who got its name from them. He added that others like him in that way, including his siblings, provide their personal touch of candles and woodworking products, as those were the two biggies he specified, to round out the mix of offerings.
He added that the family was told it might take some doing to get their liquor license, for things like the bubbly for your honey on your honey-do list, as these are not always easy to come by, since for obvious reasons these licenses are in demand. Everybody wants one. So they applied back in a January time frame, hoping to get all such things in order by Valentine’s Day, and were pleasantly surprised to have them all be an actual go by the first week or two of February. It helps to stay on top of such things. Flowers and other featured products too.
Specialty services at Bo Jon’s
They offer a large inventory of fresh flowers that include tropicals, indoor house plants, seasonal outdoor annual plants, dish gardens, contemporary and traditional arrangements, high-style floral arrangements, funeral designs, extensive gift lines, gourmet and fruit baskets, assorted gift baskets, and greeting cards. Got all that, consummate shopper and consumer? They follow with things hard to find under one roof like those wind chimes, garden stones and sympathy-based items, and those from Valley Fudge and Candy Co. Many new vendors are coming onboard soon.
“If you have any questions or need more information, we’re always here to serve you and make your flower-sending experience a pleasure,” they again emphasize. So call them at 715-425-1522, or just stop in at 222 N. Main St. in the center of River Falls, Wis. at the zip code of 54022.
There are many special events planned. Among them, the family caters to weddings, funerals and other such gatherings, and have partnered with Belle Ame Vineyard in River Falls, where in the coming weeks they will be offering to their patrons a Bo Jon’s cart of fresh flowers. The educational facet of the business will kick-in when they host seasonal classes on how to do your own planters, flower arrangements and wreaths, while you enjoy a glass of wine, charcuterie and the beautiful landscape of the vineyard.
Arch rentals that were hand-built by them from 100-plus-year-old reclaimed barnwood, in various styles, as well as centerpieces and other items, are on hand here. This family business now supplies residential and commercial landscaping, outdoor planters throughout the changing seasons, and irrigation systems.
Customers can be supplied with almost anything related to the main focuses of their growing shop. When you are parents, you learn to foster the talents and even expertise possessed by your children and draw these out, and you can see that touch in so much of their merchandise. The kids’ marketing flair, especially in working with their own individual gifts, even is shown by the fact they wrote business plans — and shared their love of plants — for their parents to incorporate. Scores of the sources of product are truly unique. With that said, since the family, as a whole but in particular their mom, loves travel that is regional and beyond, it is only fitting that they should partner to offer their services and products via other like-minded companies in western Wisconsin and especially eastern Minnesota. And deliver to many of those areas.
Here is an article, slightly edited, that tells the tale, posted by the River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce (and Tourism Bureau):
The Powers Family moved to River Falls from Hudson during the height (or depth) of COVID. They were looking for a little more room to spread out without bumping into their neighbors and stumbled upon a house with a little land that made that possible for them. One of the things that they liked to do as a family was to go for country drives, (and there is so much fodder for this in the area, and they even will deliver to much of it). They like to explore and see nature. Ditto. On one of their drives, Erin announced with content that she was home. That was a BIG statement for anyone that knew Erin as she has lived all over the United States and traveled a lot. The next thing she asked Jeff was “Do you want to buy a business and set down roots?”
Jeff and Erin then presented the idea to their three teenagers, (a bold move, but they were very receptive). Then they asked each one of their children to write up a business plan as to what they were interested in, what they could bring to the table and what they absolutely was a non-starter. After reading what each teenager said, and what they were willing to offer, Jeff and Erin embarked on finding the right business that fit their family.
In May 2022, Erin and Jeff as her “not so silent partner,” purchased Bo Jon’s Flowers & Gifts. This allows each of the Powers Family members to bring a little of themselves into the shop, (increasing the skill sets present to five-fold). Erin runs the day to day operations as well, with her creative background, helps dream up all the projects to keep everyone busy. Liam is often seen at the front of the store waiting to welcome customers into the store, much like a Waffle House experience, (and he is a wealth of information). Jonah is often busy with his shop classes at school, (one way he uses that follows), track and his girlfriend but when he has time he likes to make wooden crafts for the store. Cara is a permanent fixture of the store. She is a self described, “plant nerd” and can often-times be found caring for those, even the exotic, in the front of the store or outside. She has a passion for floral design and will one day take over the shop when Jeff and Erin decide to hang up their hats, (and flower pots).
In their free time when not at the shop, the family loves to travel to neat little places and bring back little treasures from their trips, (near and not so near), to share with the rest of the community. Jeff and Cara have taken up pouring their own line of candles called, “Powers of a Candle,” which is sold at Bo Jon’s along with knit hats that Cara makes. The family have sixty-eight and counting animals and often sell their free range chicken eggs to the community. They grow their own fruit and vegetables as well as quite a few of their own flowers that they bring in each year to sell at the shop.
They are excited to continue their journey in River Falls and send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported them throughout their ongoing adventure!
On Sundays they are closed, but on weekdays open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. That last part is important when you are in town for a weekend festival, and there are many.
They accept the following wide range of payment methods: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and even Apple Pay and Pay Pal.
Areas served just in Wisconsin include River Falls, of course, and bergs like Beldenville, Baldwin, Ellsworth, Hudson, Prescott, Roberts and Spring Valley. None are too small or too big.
Now talking about the tremendous scope of their store. They deliver to these facilities, so many that you’ve probably done business with some of them before and built up trust: Bakken-Young Funeral & Cremation Services, Our House Senior Living River Falls, O’Connell Family Funeral Homes, Comforts of Home, Kinnic Health and Rehab, Wellhaven Senior Apartments, River Falls Area Hospital and Keehr Funeral Home.
Email them at bojonsflowers@gmail.com. You can also find them on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.