Manawa shop offers creative outlet
By Holly Neumann
Amanda Niemuth, the new owner of the Flower Pot, believes her creativity makes her thrive.
Working with flowers and nature was always the forefront of her ideas.
“It had become my dream to someday launch into a creative outlet full time for my career,” she said. “As soon as I heard of this opportunity, it was calling me. It’s just one of those things that made absolute sense. The more I investigated the more I allowed myself to have some faith and open mindedness about taking a new direction.”
She did not think that her family would be on board as they already have another business in their household, Niemo’s Septic.
Over the years, Niemuth has had a lot of ideas, but none had ever really gathered the full interest and support from her husband Joe until this one.
She Joe’s support and belief in her skills have made her dreams come true.
“There are opportunities that come along that occur only once and you must decide whether you’ll proceed or walk away and move on forever,” she said. “When I first went in to talk with the previous owner, Lori Bertram, it was natural and easy. We seem to share the same sense of humor and have a lot in common. She won my trust right from the beginning.”
Niemuth feels that a flower shop is a valuable resource for Manawa.
“I feel the weight of keeping this as a resource to our community,” she said. “I can’t imagine not having this store and resource locally. I hope to continue to provide the same dependable service Lori has.”
She does however plan on adding a few touches of her own.
“I really want the store to be a calm and inviting place to shop for gifts or touches for your home,” said Niemuth. “Our environment is what we make it to be and that enhances how we feel. I myself love shopping small stores and small towns, so I hope that I can create a place where people want to take a relaxing drive to enjoy our local scene.”
Overall, Niemuth likes a rustic modern, minimalist, natural, and a hint of vintage-inspired atmosphere.
“I’m sure that look will follow me at the shop,” she said. “I also really enjoy observing nature, fashion and trends and will enjoy incorporating hints and colors from the trending scene into my work.”
Her vision is complex and fluid.
“It will be more of an unfolding journey then an end result,” she said. “I also do custom and personalized woodcrafts, arrangements, gift boxes, and signs and am excited to incorporate that and have all of my tools and supplies in one area.”
The name of the shop will stay the same to pay homage to this great business that Bertram started.
“She took a risk 10 years ago and she was really instrumental in changing the Manawa community to be a quaint little destination,” Niemuth said.
She is looking forward to expressing her creativity.
“This is my dream job,” she said. “I get to act on any ideas that come into my head without having to wait until my next day “off”. I am my best self when I can work creatively.”
The Flower Pot is located at 337 S. Bridge St., in Manawa.
The store is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays.
Niemuth can also be reached by calling 920-596-3090 or via email [email protected].