Milwood Florist celebrates 100 years in business tomorrow
When you’re looking to buy flowers, Milwood Florist is the place to go.Most businesses will never survive for 100 years — but Milwood Florist on Main Street celebrates that prestigious occasion with live music, food and drinks from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept 27.
Owner Sam Glass said the event will be similar to a chamber mixer with appetizers, live music and adult beverages for purchase.
“Come hang out and say hi,” Glass said. “We thought it was a milestone, so we figured we’d have a party.”
Glass said he thought Milwood Florist was one of the longest running businesses in Susanville.
Believe it or not, Milwood Florist (named for the Milwood District that extended down to the mill when most of the rest of Susanville was centered in the Uptown area) opened for its first few years in Lenora Roger’s Spring Street home way back in 1922 when Warren G. Harding was in the White House. While Glass said some people think the business is run by the Milwood family, there used to be a number of businesses that shared that Milwood moniker in the neighborhood in the old days.
And it’s not just flowers at Milwood Florist — visitors can find a wide variety of items for pets and pet lovers alike.Glass said his wife Patty’s parents — the Annand family — bought the business back in 1972 and it’s been in the family and a Main Street Susanville landmark since then. Glass said the original building was on the Sacramento Street side of the lot where the nursery is now, but that building was replaced with the current building in 1993.
“It’s evolved and gone through changes over the years,” Glass said of the business. “It’s always been a florist, but it used to be a pet shop back then when it first started. They kind of phased that out, and we had the nursery for many years. Now we’ve got the candy and the pet food and different things, so we kind of adapt to whatever the market is at the time — the retail landscape over the years. We’ve got Treats in here and the insurance office now. It’s our own mini-mall sort of thing … but there’s always been a commitment to serving the community. We’ve had to adapt to keep the store open.”