A longtime Bangor florist is moving to a new downtown space that will be both safer for staff and have a larger display for customers.
Lougee & Frederick’s, Inc. aims to move to an empty storefront at 21 Washington St., next to Quality Jewelers, on April 1, according to employee Mark Pellon, who has worked as a florist locally for more than 40 years.
The space was most recently occupied by Maine Micro Artisans, which opened in August 2024 before abruptly closing for good four months later.
Lougee & Frederick’s, Inc. has moved around Bangor several times during its more than 90 years in business. The florist has sat in its current location, a former house built in 1836 at 345 State St., for roughly 15 years, Pellon said.
At 18,000 square feet, the shop’s new storefront will provide more showroom space to display flowers for sale as well as additional staging areas for staff to create arrangements. The business will also likely need to hire more staff to compensate for additional space, Pellon said.
“Growth comes with a lot of little problems,” Pellon said.
With the additional room, the business hopes to offer a refrigerated section where customers can choose their own flowers and make their own displays. Pellon also hopes to offer small classes where people can learn how to make arrangements, he said.
Pellon said customers have also been looking for more gifts since Rebecca’s Gift Shop on Main Street and the Christmas Tree Shop on Hogan Road closed in July 2024 and July 2023, respectively. Having a larger storefront will allow the business to stock more gift items in addition to flower arrangements.
The new location will be on one level, Pellon said, which will be safer than the business’ current location that has workspaces and storage on the second floor and in the basement. Occupying multiple floors requires staff, many of whom are older, to carry large containers and arrangements up and down the stairs throughout the day, he said.
The new location also has coolers and a large delivery bay in the back left over from when Damon’s Beverage and Redemption was in the space before moving to its current Hogan Road location in early 2022. Larger doors will allow staff to create and move larger arrangements safely.
Rhoda Burke, owner of Lougee & Frederick’s, Inc., did not immediately return requests for comment.
