Built in 1945 by Margaret Solarz on the corner of 1st Street and Franklin Avenue, the Log Cabin Flower Shop has been owned and operated by women throughout its history. In the summer of 2006, it was slated for demolition. Old Arizona stepped in to save the flower shop from the wrecking ball, with plans for Chicas in Bloom, a new program to include teaching teen women floral design along with the skills necessary to operate a small business. In August 2006, the building was successfully moved to a new foundation located next to the cafe in Old Arizona's courtyard.

WHITTIER GLOBE

Whittier's Mobile Flower Shop

By Nick Hook

On April 18 at 4:30 am, under the cover of rain spattered darkness, the Log Cabin Flower Shop slowly made its way from its home at 2000 First Ave. down Nicollet Ave. towards its new digs at Old Arizona. Since log cabins in general (and this flower shop in particular) are incapable of self-contained perambulation, it was necessary to load the structure onto a flatbed and trundle it down the usually busy street. The log cabin/flatbed duo was accompanied by several construction vehicles (with safety-lights blazing) as well as by a team of professional movers. This made quite a strange looking caravan for anyone who happened to be up at the ungodly hour. The move went smoothly and the quaint little shop is safely resting on its flatbed in the driveway of its new home while the foundations upon which it will ultimately sit are finished. But how did all this come to pass? A year ago, The Log Cabin Flower Shop seemed destined for physical destruction. As CVS finalized its plans to build a pharmacy/condo development at the intersection of Franklin and First Avenue, it seemed the cabin would go the way of so many other historical buildings in the Twin Cities. But Marian Biehn of the Whittier Alliance stepped up and sent out a call to local businesses to see if somehow the building could be saved. Recognizing the quirky historical importance of the shop (it has been continuously owned and operated by women ever since it was built in 1945 next to the Pillsbury family tennis courts), Biehn was delighted when Darcy Knight and Elizabeth Trumble of Old Arizona expressed an interest in the building. In their favor was the fact that they planned to continue to use the space as a flower shop, though it will function as a flower shop of an altogether new and different sort. It will be used as a training center to teach neighborhood girls important life skills. On top of managing Old Arizona, Knight and Trumble run non-profit programs for inner city teen women. As part of this program they plan to hire a florist and a small-business guru to teach young women the art of flower arrangement as well as how to run a small business. They recognized that the shop would be the perfect program. So in its old age, the Log Cabin Flower Shop will be transformed into a training ground of sorts for a new generation. But, according to Trumble all of this is going to take hard work...and money. In short, the program needs financial aid in order to continue. To contribute to this worthy endeavor please call Darcy Knight at (612) 871-0050, or stop by Old Arizona. And if you do stop by be sure to sample the scones available in their cafe. They are quite tasty.

THE MINNEAPOLIS OBSERVER

City's Last Log Cabin in Peril

September 30, 2005

The Log Cabin Flower Shop, a landmark in the Whittier neighborhood of South Minneapolis since 1945, is in danger of being demolished to make way for a housing development.

The quaint cabin at Franklin and First avenues is currently sitting on property its owner, Linda North, is selling to Bloomington-based Lupe Partners, which plans to build a project called Eat Street Flats and Market on the site. The closing date on the sale has not been set, however, and Lupe Partners project manager Kristine Stehly has been busy trying to find a way to save the structure, which has been closed since spring. "I'd love to find a home for this," she told Anna Pratt in the Southwest Journal.

She's found a supporter in Whittier Alliance executive director Marian Biehn, but the organization hasn't found a relocation site or the resources to transport the cabin or hook it up with plumbing and electricity. "It's a cute building, something that looks unique and unusual and has been around for a long time," Biehn said. "The neighborhood needs a fairy godmother to help this organization move it." Godmothers Darcy Knight and Elizabeth Trumble... at your service. (In green)