A To Zinnia Floral & Gifts
Photo: Art Sidner
New Ulm: A To Zinnia Floral & Gifts
Said 35-year-old Heather Hacker Hammer in a telephone interview, “My parents own Hacker’s Tree Farm Nursery and Greenhouse. I began working at the business at 12, and grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. My brothers own Hacker Construction. In the spring, at age 12, I would be planting, watering, and weeding. In the summer, we had a landscape business. In the winter, today, the business produces 30,000 wreaths, sells 12,000 Christmas trees wholesale, and makes 200,000 feet of fresh evergreen garland. My parents have supplied the garland and wreaths for the city of New Ulm for about 25 years.”
Heather graduated from Minnesota Valley Lutheran in 1995, and from South Dakota State University with a degree in horticulture and a minor in business economics. She hadn’t been interested in horticulture her freshman year, and wouldn’t like it until taking a few classes. After an internship at Springfield (Minn.) Floral, she completed stints at a Brookings floral shop, Hilltop Florist in Mankato, and Hermes Floral in Roseville, where she managed the shop. Over the last eight years—with the last five in New Ulm—she has had her own wedding flowers business and been averaging 60 weddings and events annually.
Said Heather, “We opened A to Zinnia in June. We have flowers for anniversaries, birthdays and for no reason at all. I’m still focusing on my wedding business, which has increased since I’ve had a storefront. We do sympathy work. We have a large selection of green and blooming plants. We have unique gift items, sell a lot of books, and have wallhangings, candleholders and larger pieces. We carry Wooden Scriptures, a local company that engraves New Ulm landmarks onto coasters, glasses, and ornaments. We have other local artists and sell handmade baby blankets.”
She added, “I love being creative with my hands, and designing, and having interaction with people planning their special event.”
A To Zinnia Floral & Gifts
Address: 15 South Broadway
Telephone: 507-359-9900/866-460-8693
Web: a2zinnia.com
