Flowers displayed inside and outside of the historic building at 592 E. Main St. have signaled the beginning of the summer season for Harbor Springs residents and visitors for a century.
The A.R. Pontius Flower Store was founded as a family company in 1923. Arthur Pontius quit the printing profession to open a business with his wife Florence. They were well-known for the gladiolus and lilies they grew behind the structure.
In the 1980s, the Pontius family sold the company to Nancy Rondel, a resident of Harbor Springs and the aunt of the current owner, Jamie Platte of Petoskey.
Platte has a bachelor’s degree in vocal music and was pursuing a career in performing arts in San Francisco, California before deciding to return to Northern Michigan. A friend encouraged her to apply at Monarch Garden and Floral Design, where she entered the world of flowers for the first time.
While Platte was employed at Monarch in 2013, Rondel considered selling Pontius Flower Shop and asked Platte if she was interested.
She wasn’t really into social media a decade ago, so she didn’t really care about having a website, according to Platte. “She only performed a few marriages every year. Prior to this, they may have made no more than five adjustments, thus these modifications are enormous. The wedding industry, particularly the destination wedding industry in the North, is just insane. Since I’ve acquired the company, that portion is almost brand-new.”
Platte stated that Rondel occasionally returns to the shop to assist with client interaction, her favorite aspect of the company.
Folks like seeing her so much, and she enjoys stopping over to say hello.
For Platte, flower design proved to be the ideal profession. With a degree in vocal music and painting, she is able to utilize her talents daily in her business. As her business developed, she was able to employ a manager to operate the shop so she could focus on floral design for the numerous events and weddings for which they supplied flowers.
Platte said that floral design for occasions never ceases to be fascinating as individuals discover new methods to adorn with flowers.
“If you look at our website, you can’t pick anything out; you tell us what you want, or you don’t, and we produce it, so there’s a creative aspect to every design, and everything we do is unique,” Platte said.
“There is a portion of the industry that appeals to me as an artist, but I also enjoy dealing with live creatures. Depending on the season, the hues and textures vary, making it anything from monotonous. Sometimes it’s quite difficult, but I believe that’s what drew me to the field.”
Platte and her husband Marc established a flower farm north of Harbor Springs in 2017 in order to cultivate flowers for the business. Marc manages a 10-acre farm where he cultivates dahlias, snapdragons, foxglove, amaranth, sunflowers, zinnias, and a variety of other annual and perennial flowers.
Platte and Rondel opted to preserve the Pontius name because of the company’s lengthy history in the town. Platte stated that many of her clients frequented the store as children, and some individuals have shown her with photographs of the establishment from decades ago. The wall behind the antique register is lined with framed paintings of the shop by local artists.
Platte remarked, “We have people whose mothers always came here; it’s a very generational business.” “These are all paintings created by individuals or local artists. Some are from the 1980s and are rather ancient. Occasionally, individuals simply bring them to me. Someone painted the cat painting, and a client said, “I got it at a thrift store and thought you would appreciate it.”
Several clients own summer houses where their families have vacationed for generations, and they employ Pontius to maintain their homes full of fresh flowers throughout the season. In addition, from May to September, the Pontius staff is kept busy with events and store operations.
The team will continue to host events in October, November, and December, but the storefront will be closed. From January through April, Platte, her husband, and her ten employees are able to take a rest and prepare for the upcoming season.