After 125 years of blooming business, Bachman’s may have found a way to overshadow the flowers. The new home department at the Lyndale Avenue flagship store in South Minneapolis and the Plymouth and Eden Prairie stores (and soon to come at other locations) is top-notch. Really, much more than expected for a store that smells like fertilizer. Bachman’s partnered with flea market aficionado Ki Nassauer to create a whole new look that blends new and vintage furnishings and accessories with repurposed artifacts and home decor. The result: vignettes for every taste, from urban loft living to cottage and European country. Outfit your home with pillows, small furniture and all the finishing touches, and find some great gifts. The children’s area is a stand-out, with retro toys and vintage decor. Now if Bachman’s can just get shoppers to think of it for purchases beyond plants, this move could be a huge hit.
For more design inspiration, Bachman’s this week debuts an Ideas House on the grounds of the Lyndale store. The goal is to give visitors decorating and landscaping ideas. Admission is $5 (includes a $5 coupon off a $25 purchase). The Ideas House will be open April 8 to 18 (closed Mondays and Tuesdays) and again May 1 and 2. Then it gets transformed for a summer theme to open in June.