Former butcher shop ideal for book event
Pioneer Florist has been a fixture in North Judson since the 1950s. In the early 1980s, it moved to its current location in what had been a butcher shop.
Besides the annual mint festival every June, which I’ve written about in the past, there are a few other favorite highlights of our small farming town of North Judson, population 1,715.
On one of the parallel downtown corners, opposite other nearly centuryold family owned businesses such as Fingerhut Bakery and O’Donnell Mortuary, is Pioneer Florist at 224 Lane St., a business fixture since the 1950s. Owned by Bob and Regina Howard for nearly 40 years, it moved to its current location in the early 1980s into what was once our town’s butcher shop, owned by Fred Sramek, which relocated further down the street.
The building, which also has a full basement and two apartments above, was built in 1910. Today, the owners use the original still-chilly walk-in solid oak and tinlined meat cooler as the storage space for fresh-cut flowers and greenery.
“This florist business, and even the name, began with the original owner, Louie Rozhon, before he sold it to Jack Vanek,” Regina said.
“When we bought it, the owner was Bev Lippelt, part of a the farm family from LaCrosse, and during all of the years it was in business, it had always been based in small brick storefront with an arbor and two greenhouses near the town cemetery a couple streets over.”
Regina said two years after purchasing the business, town businessman Jim Kersting convinced her to move the florist business to the vacant butcher building along the main street.
“The butcher building had been empty for about 10 years,” she said.
“And over the decades, it had been a few other things like a furniture store and even the town’s license branch. In fact, when we bought the building, the large meat cooler had the door removed and stored in the basement, because the meat cooler had been used as a private office space with a desk inside.”
Regina said she always loved gardening and flowers, but had little experience with floral work.
“As a little girl, I would even make flowers out of crepe paper,” she said.
“I came to work for the previous owner Bev after my son was born and she told me I had a natural talent and eye for flower arranging. And along the way, she taught me the rest.”
Regina has been busy gathering fresh pine and floral accents to make her December “seasonal green” specialty arrangements.
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 14, she is hosting a holiday open house in her history-filled store and has invited me to bake gingersnap cookies from one of the recipes in my new cookbook, “Back From the Farm: Family Recipes and Memories of a Lifetime” ($34.95 Pediment Press). I will join her during the open house to sign and sell copies of my new book. For more information, call (574) 896-5421.
My new book was written with the help of actress Florence Henderson, prior to her passing in November 2016. Forever known to all as Mrs. Carol Brady of ABC TV’s “The Brady Bunch,” which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the show’s premiere, Henderson was born and raised a Hoosier farm girl in tiny Dale, Ind. We shared some famous friendships, such as fellow late greats Phyllis Diller and Jim Nabors, both wonderful pals who helped me write my 2004 original “From the Farm” cookbook and the follow-up 2007 “More From the Farm” cookbook.
As for favorite cookie recipes, Regina shared her family’s often requested recipe for anise-flavored biscotti, which are delicious and ideal for serving with hot coffee of hot cocoa on a cold winter’s day.
Philip Potempa has published four cookbooks and is the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. Mail questions to: From the Farm, P.O. Box 68, San Pierre, IN 46374.