Oconto Falls stays in bloom with Northern Roots

Matthew Day

Staff

February 23, 2026

OCONTO FALLS – Amid a cold Northeast Wisconsin winter and a late December closure of The Flower Shoppe, Oconto Falls is still blooming thanks to Lori Fournier, who bought the shop she’d worked at for 18 years and reopened it as Northern Roots.

Fournier said the former owners offered to sell her the business as they headed for semi-retirement. 

After The Flower Shoppe closed on New Year’s Eve, Fournier said she cleaned, restocked and reopened the shop as Northern Roots Jan. 5.

She said Lead Designer Abby Gardebrecht, who “has been here just as long,” is also fully committed to the new venture.

“I think that made people feel comfortable that we were both staying,” she said. “And I think they knew they were going to get the same quality and same service they’ve always gotten.” 

A new yet familiar arrangement 

Though some neighboring cities and villages have their own shops, Fournier said Northern Roots – located at 224 N. Main St. – is the only dedicated flower shop in Oconto Falls. 

She said it’s both an honor and a bit of a challenge to keep a dedicated flower shop in the Oconto County city of just under 3,000 residents.

“People can buy [flowers] at grocery stores and whatnot,” she said. “It’s hard to have a small business. I feel like there’s getting [to be] fewer and fewer flower shops. But this one’s always done really well, and I’m hoping we can keep things going as is.” 

Fournier said Northern Roots offers customized and standardized options, including arrangements – with names (according to northernrootsfloral.com) such as Serenity, Victorian Garden and Spun Sugar – as well as a classic dozen red roses. 

Per the website, vased and wrapped bouquet options are also available for Designer’s Choice arrangements. 

For regular, scheduled deliveries of flowers, Fournier said Northern Roots offers subscriptions, which she said are a popular choice for customers with family members who are in assisted living situations or even deployed in the military. 

“They just sign up, and we send flowers to their loved ones on whatever given date they want,” she said. “It could be weekly, monthly or whatever they sign up for, and then we just take care of that for them.” 

Fournier said Northern Roots also specializes in providing flowers for events, with funeral arrangements requiring a considerate touch.

“We like to do something that’s unique – that represents what the person liked in life…,” she said. “I think that’s important, because that’s not something you can get at a grocery store [or with] ‘dollar store’ balloons… It’s comforting to the family. It shows people cared, and makes that time a little bit easier.” 

Celebrations are equally enhanced with flowers, Fournier said, and the shop often provides its decorative wares for weddings, birthdays and anniversaries, in addition to get-well gifts. 

“Flowers make people happy,” she said. “It’s not a necessity to have flowers – even at a funeral, you could have a funeral without them. But, it does make it a little more special to have something there.” 

Fournier said the previous owners had run The Flower Shoppe for nearly 25 years, taking over from one of the owners’ parents, who had run it for the previous 25 years. 

Not only is she continuing to provide their services to Oconto Falls, but she said she has similarly brought her own children, Abby and Aaron, on board. 

“We’re not old girls,” she laughed, regarding herself and Gardebrecht, “but my kids bring a little bit more youth to the team.” 

After the name change and the added staff, Fournier said the city has gotten behind the store as she builds on its reputation as a reliable floral provider. 

“I appreciate everyone who has already come in and supported us,” she said. “And I feel like if you haven’t been in, you should stop in and see what we have to offer, meet our team and trust us with your floral needs.” 

Enhanced beyond plants 

Thanks to her extensive experience with the shop she bought it, Fournier said regular customers of The Flower Shoppe haven’t experienced any drastic changes with Northern Roots. 

“I’ve been here 18 years, but I feel like I’ve been incorporating my ideas all this time,” she said.  

Some cosmetic changes were in order, Fournier said, including painting the walls and altering some of the displays. 

“I think as time goes on, [however], we will make changes that people are going to notice,” she said. 

In addition to increasing the store’s focus on providing flowers/decorations for weddings, Fournier said she intends to host flower arrangement classes and regularly refresh Northern Roots’ gift offerings.

“A lot of people like that they can come in here and get a gift for someone,” she said. “We try to have a nice variety of gifts for people.” 

Some of those gifts, Fournier said, are different candies, purses, clothes – including some devoted to the Oconto Falls Panthers – jewelry, cards and children’s gifts. 

Providing gifts a bit further north is one thing, she said, whereas ensuring flowers retain their appeal in the dead of winter is an art of its own – “the cold times make it harder.” 

Amid this year’s lowest temperatures, Fournier said Northern Roots’ staff would call early to confirm a recipient would be home during a delivery, and wrap or double-wrap flowers for protection.

However, she said handling flowers through winter is not as tricky as one might think. 

“You have to just be careful of their exposure outside, but other than that, flowers do like it colder than you think,” she said. “I keep our coolers at about 38 degrees. Most flowers do like it cold.” 

Moving forward as the shop’s new owner, Fournier said she’s focused on maintaining another aspect: the store’s legacy. 

“This place has been going for so long, and it’s well known for good service and quality,” she said. “I want to keep that reputation, and then I want to elevate it a little bit.” 

Visit the aforementioned website for more information.