Bachman's history

Henry and Hattie built this large 15-room house in the early 1890's to accommodate their growing family.

The Bachman family home at 60th and Lyndale, circa 1894.

By 1895, Bachman had 150 hotbeds and 11 greenhouses on his 44 acres of land.

The Bachman family, circa 1908.

In 1911, Bachman convinced a railroad company to build a spur line to his property, and he began transporting his produce to New York and Boston.

The girls helped with meals and laundry for the hired hands and worked in the retail store, which had been established in the mid-1920s.

Three generations of Bachmans stood for this family portrait, taken about 1927.

On April 9, 1929, the family business was incorporated as Henry Bachman's Sons.

The Lyndale store, circa 1934.

In 1949, seven cousins formed the new leadership of the company, renamed Bachman's Inc.

The Lyndale Avenue store--part of the original Bachman family homestead--was converted to a "supermarket" operation in 1958.

With 1959 sales of $2.2 million, Bachman's ranked among the top five retail florists in the United States.

The first European Flower Market opened at Byerly's Foods in 1968.

By 1970, the company operated 22 European Flower Markets in Minnesota.

The Pillsbury Company purchased the division in 1971, and Ralph Bachman ran the operation for the Minneapolis food giant.

When expansion plans failed to meet expectations, Pillsbury sold the Minnesota segment of the operation back to Bachman's in 1976.

In an effort to keep the company vital, Bachman's shifted from a general manager to executive committee system in 1979.

According to a February 1980 Corporate Report Minnesota article, average annual sales for retail florists--typically family-owned businesses--were about $100,000.

In 1984, the $15 million department was spun off as a subsidiary, and Ed Bazinet was appointed president.

In 1989, the closing of our European Flower Markets marked the end of an era.

A new marketing strategy was unveiled in 1990 when the first new Bachman's Floral, Home and Garden Center was opened in Maplewood.

Department 56, which had been growing by nearly 20 percent a year, had sales of $122 million in 1991.

In the fall of 1992, Bachman’s sold its interests in Department 56 to a new company formed by Department 56 management and New York-based Forstmann Little & Company.

Bachman's closed three of its smaller stores and opened a fourth "superstore" in the Twin Cities in 1993.

Todd Bachman departed Department 56 and succeeded Stanley Bachman as chairman in 1994: the tradition of family leadership endured.

The Corporate Report Fact Book 1997 estimated Bachman's sales to be $65 million.

A seventh floral and garden center opening was planned for 1998.

In March, 2004, Patrick’s French Bakery and Café at Bachman’s on Lyndale opened to the public with terrific results.

Throughout 2005, Bachman’s took a long, hard look at our retail business from every angle.

In 2007, additional land was purchased adjacent to our Lakeville farm, bringing the total growing range to 670 acres.

2010 has brought a new vision to the forefront in our Floral, Gift, and Garden Centers: The introduction of “Vintage”, the combination of old and new.

In 2012 Utz Quality Foods acquired The Bachman Company with Utz buying the intellectual property rights, distribution and Ephrata manufacturing facility.

In 2015, Bachman’s adopted the philosophy of 3 Big Words throughout our organization.