Ginger Birch: ‘Where community blossoms’

Rachel Sankey

Past Staff

March 23, 2023

DE PERE – After five years of being in business, Ginger Birch is making the jump from the Village of Suamico to downtown De Pere.

The floral and gift shop, which is currently located in Vickery Village at 1755 Riverside Dr., got its start through owner Angela Kusek’s love for creating flower arrangements.

“I was a florist for many years, and then I took a break when I had my kids and moved to Door County,” she said. “I was talking to my husband about how I felt like I had lost part of me, and he said, ‘Well, you’re always happiest when you’re doing flowers, so maybe you need to do flowers again.’”

Kusek said the encouragement she received from her husband reignited a spark inside of her, which led to her starting back in the floral business – this time out of her garage.

After a move to Green Bay and continuous freelance work from her home, Kusek said an opportunity came up to open a shop in Vickery Village – which she jumped at.

“I thought, ‘Well, there isn’t a florist out of the Suamico area, so I would do it,’” she said. 

Ginger Birch always offers fresh flowers, as well as an array of different kinds of gifts, such as bath and body items, pottery from local artists and gourmet food treats.

“I think of it as Angie’s favorite things,” she laughed. “If I love it, it’s coming in the store. Green olives even made an appearance because I love green olives.”

Outside of Ginger Birch’s physical location, Kusek said she does floral arrangements for corporate events, weddings, school dances, funerals and more.

She said Ginger Birch also offers a flower subscription, where floral arrangements are delivered to customers’ doors at specific dates and intervals.

Choosing to make the move
In an effort to grow yet again, Kusek said Ginger Birch is moving to downtown De Pere.

The new building is located at 622 George St., across the street from Caliente La Fiesta Mexicana.

Kusek said making a move to De Pere will hopefully bring with it more exposure to the shop.

“We had been looking to get back in a main street district, more of a retail shopping area,” she said.

When it came to finding a spot in the downtown area, Kusek said the location “chose us.”

“(De Pere) let us know what spaces they had available,” she said. “And this one felt right. We like what they’re doing with their downtown and how they’re promoting so many of their small businesses… A lot of our customers are also already from De Pere, so it made sense.”

The move will bring some new changes to Ginger Birch, Kusek said, such as offering DIY classes.

“I had a different business on Broadway (called) DIY Studio and Gifts where I taught art craft classes,” she said. “We wanted a larger space and area to start classes again.”

Ginger Birch’s current location in Suamico is two levels, which Kusek said made DIY classes exclusive for some.

“We had an upstairs classroom space, which was prohibitive for some people to participate in the classes,” she said.

The new George St. location is only one level, which Kusek said will allow Ginger Birch to “accommodate bigger groups.” 

The additional space at the De Pere location, she said, will also allow for more retail offerings.

“We pride ourselves on carrying unique products, and we’re excited we get to bring in more,” she said. “We’ll have a larger design room as well, which we’re looking forward to having more space to be creative.”

Ginger Birch started from owner Angela Kusek’s love of floral design. She said her shop always has fresh flowers in stock. Photo Courtesy of Ginger Birch

While she said she’s excited about the new move, Kusek said she’s thankful for the time Ginger Birch spent in Suamico.

“I’m grateful for getting a start (in Vickery Village),” she said. “It’s just a matter of needing more space and expanding.”

Long-term impact
Kusek said although she hopes moving to a more retail-centered location will have a positive economic impact on Ginger Birch, she hopes it will have a positive impact within the community as well.

“My goal has always been to create a space where everyone feels welcome, and everyone finds something that fits for them and that they love and enjoy or they look forward to gifting,” she said. “I want people to feel comfortable to come in and sit and work on a puzzle while we’re making flowers and chat with us. We’re a community space.”

The new location, Kusek said, also means a new tagline – “Where community blossoms.”

“That’s where our focus is – to bring beauty and kindness and community and be there for people who need to come to chat,” she said.

Ginger Birch’s open house for its new location will be from 2-7 p.m. May 6.

To learn more about the floral and gift shop and its offerings, head to gingerbirch.com.