This article is the part of a series of features entitled: “Fairbury’s Next Generation of Entrepreneurs” celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit of Fairbury’s next generation of young business professionals.
 

Lily’s Flowers and Gifts Under New Ownership

August 2010 - Lily’s Flowers and Gifts is under new ownership. Sara (Meyer) Forsgren became one of Fairbury’s Next Generation of Entrepreneurs with the purchase of Lily’s Flowers and Gifts in July of 2009.

Located on the east side of the Square in historic downtown Fairbury, Lily’s Flowers & Gifts has been serving Fairbury since 1982 when Lily Henk purchased the former Randall’s Floral Shop which had been in existence since the 1940’s. In 1988, Lily’s daughter Jan Klaus took over the management of the shop and in 1996, purchased the business from her mother. Jan ran the shop until 2009 when the opportunity to sell it to Sara presented itself. “I really hadn’t planned to sell the business, but when I saw the chance to sell it to a young person, deeply rooted in Fairbury, I knew it was the right thing to do,” stated Klaus.

A native of Fairbury, Sara (Meyer) Forsgren is the daughter of Jeff and Beverly Meyer, owners of Gerdes-Meyer Funeral Home, another family business which has served the Fairbury area for decades. Sara is a 2004 graduate of Fairbury High School and went on to graduate from Doane College in Crete, Nebraska with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice/Sociology.

So how does someone with a degree in Criminal Justice end up owning a flower shop? ” In high school, I worked at Lily’s part time and it was there I discovered my love of floral design”, said Sara. “While attending college in Crete, I started working part-time, then full-time at a floral shop there.” It was the experience she gained while working in these two shops that gave her the confidence to come back home and own a floral shop of her own.

Away from Fairbury, Sara discovered that she was not a “big city girl” and the decision was made to move back home to Fairbury, to be near family. With her came her husband CJ, who works for the Nebraska Department of Roads. They currently reside in a loft apartment above the store in Fairbury’s downtown historic district.

Sara is excited to bring a young, fresh perspective and new ideas to Lily’s. New gift lines, home décor and seasonal merchandise has been added, but the primary emphasis still remains on fresh flowers.

When asked about the health and future of the business, Sara replied, “The community has been very supportive of the shop so far and our customer base is growing through networking. We have increased our visibility by advertising on Fairbury.com, which has played a huge role in growing the business. Our visibility online is expanding our reach beyond Fairbury,”