Molly Fritz grew up in Hastings in a gardening family.
So, a few years ago, when the pandemic hit, and while she was pregnant, Fritz turned to growing more flowers with an eye toward creating a small flower and produce business.
“I was pregnant and it was really hot when I started it, but it was a good stress reliever working in the garden. Especially during COVID.”
Today, her Little Roots Flower Farm and Florist business offers a self-serve stand (8 a.m. to dusk) on the far north end of Riverfront Drive, near Highway 22, as well as hosting events where people come to her gardens to cut their own flowers. (The next flower cutting event is Aug. 3.)
Besides flower bouquets and some produce, the stand offers eggs and other items, with more things stocked on the weekends.
Fritz did the Farmers’ Market for a year, but changed her focus to the stand and doing events.
She works full time as a supply chain manager and with her husband, Fritz, has three kids, ages 9, 7 and 3. Her husband has a drywall business.
Nicole Blace, of Mankato, said her family loves supporting Little Roots.
“I like the small business aspect of it. The eggs are my favorite. The duck eggs are the best.”
Blace buys from the stand and has done the cut-your-own flowers events as well.
“The kids like to cut flowers because they can pick out the colors they want. (Fritz) had a lot of fun zinnias when we did it last year,” said Blace, who has kids who are 9 and 7 and 4-year-old twins.
“Her flowers are always fun. I’ve given them to friends. My husband gets them for me. We’ve done the cut flowers or just get bouquets from the stand.”
Brace said Fritz has good customer service and she is involved in the community. Last October Fritz did a bouquet making and pumpkin carving event at a winery. “That was a lot of fun,” Brace said.
Fritz said her kids like taking care of the chicken and duck eggs the family raises and they help out in the gardens and small greenhouse next to their home. The family also does canning, jams and jellies, salsas, spaghetti sauces and more.
The couple had lived in Stonehenge and bought the land they are now on and built a house a couple of years ago.
Recently they purchased a 3-acre parcel of grassland next to their 4.5 acre homestead.
“We have a lot of dreams for the (new) land but haven’t landed on anything yet. I always thought it would be fun to have a Christmas tree farm, but we’ll see.”
Fritz said the gardening this year has been a bit uneven because of the weather.
“Certain things flooded and I replanted. Everything is growing but a lot of it seems dwarfed. The lack of sun and heat has left things short,” she said.
She said that each year they plan new things and expand what they’re doing.
“I track things that sell well and things that don’t. We’ve done more dehydrated things this year. We have an active Facebook group and get feedback that way. We see what customers like and what to expand and what to get rid of.”