'This is a big deal': Plumeria breathes new life into Old Lakeview neighborhood

BATTLE CREEK — The last 18 months have felt like a lifetime for Elisha and Bryan Mayes.

Renovating a longtime anchor in the Old Lakeview neighborhood has been no easy feat for the couple, but Elisha would be the first to tell you, from the moment she stepped inside the vacant Lakeview Hardware building and heard the creak of the hardwood floor, she just knew — this is where her business belonged.

Plumeria Botanical Boutique, an all-service flower shop Elisha launched with her mother Sandy Hart in 2015, will unveil its second location Wednesday at 660 Capital Ave. SW, the culmination of 18 months of hard work and substantial investment.

"I think only the two of us would’ve been able to do this together," Elisha explained Thursday, laughing.

"It’s been an undertaking, and it’s not over, but we’re close," Bryan said.

"It’s funny, too," Elisha continued. "People say, 'Oh, if you start to renovate a house or if you build a house, then it’s really a strain on a relationship,' so we just ended up getting married."

"Through the process, just one more thing (to do)," Bryan quipped with a smile.

Recognizing the potential of the building and the neighborhood, the couple took the leap in June 2022, purchasing the former Lakeview Hardware building with plans to breathe new life into the space and make it Plumeria's second location.

The couple has invested somewhere in the neighborhood of $750,000 to renovate the building and has received a tax break from the city in the form of an obsolete property rehabilitation exemption certificate, which will essentially "freeze" property taxes at the same rate for a period of 12 years.

The main floor and basement of the building alone provides more than five times the space of Plumeria's existing 1,400-square-foot shop at 1364 W. Michigan Ave. in Urbandale. The extra space couldn't come at a moment too soon, as Elisha has at times been forced to turn away business and cancel in-house classes due to a lack of space at the Urbandale location.

"I am so ready to just share (this) with everybody," Elisha said of the Lakeview shop. "I’m ready to be able to be in a functioning space where we can do the things that make us and everybody else happy."

Wednesday's grand opening festivities will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and feature a variety of prizes, gifts and goodies. A ribbon cutting ceremony is slated for 3 p.m.

"We’re really excited," Elisha said. "It’s turned out better than we could’ve expected."

A full-scale transformation

One of more than 4,500 independently-owned franchises of True Value Co., Lakeview Hardware had deep roots in the Lakeview business district for nearly nine decades.

These days, the building is almost unrecognizable.

"We didn’t want people to come in and say, 'Well, it looks like Lakeview Hardware with flowers.' We wanted it to be a whole new experience," Bryan said. "Everything’s brand new, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, from stem to stern, everything has been replaced."

Bryan had a hand in nearly all of the renovations, dedicating an average of 20 hours per week to renovations over the past year and half, in addition to working his full-time job.

To reach this point is surreal, he said.

"I am relieved to be this far so I can breathe a little bit," Bryan said. "We leveraged our lives, financially, physically, everything … All of our resources went into making this happen. ... It’s very rewarding and it’s been humbling with the support that we’ve had in friends and family, people that helped along the way."

There are still a few reminders of Lakeview Hardware. Original hardwood floors have been refurbished and maintained in portions of the building, including inside Plumeria's event space at the new location, The Gallery at Plumeria.

With the ability to accommodate up to 50 people, the event space can be reserved for baby showers, birthday parties, bridal showers, business meetings and beyond. Those interested in booking the space can schedule a tour by visiting plumeriami.com/thegallery or by emailing events@plumeriami.com

"We were just in the lull of renovating and that space was coming together so beautifully that I thought, even if we don’t get the retail space opened right away, we can refine that and get rental coming in," Elisha said. "I did some market research and it’s a niche, it’s a little niche market because there’s big venues and then there’s like VFW halls … We can offer a really pretty, refined space that’s affordable, that’s right in that middle market."

Multiple buildings on the western portion of the property, meanwhile, will ultimately be torn down and converted into green space, Bryan explained, opening up the possibility for outdoor events.

'This is a big deal'

It is estimated that Capital Avenue Southwest carries more than 13,000 vehicles daily. With a new location on the main thoroughfare, Elisha is thrilled to continue her mission of "spreading love through flowers."

"We’re just looking forward to taking advantage of that, getting those people to stop at different businesses, getting them used to shopping in Lakeview and stopping in Lakeview and enjoying Lakeview again," Elisha said.

The added space at the new location allows Plumeria to accommodate the growing number of wedding and event requests as well as continue its contributions to local community organizations, nonprofits, sports teams and charities.

As the building has transformed over the last 18 months, the neighborhood has noticed. Countless people have reached out to Elisha to express their excitement toward the building's revival, with one woman going so far as to hug her and say, "You’re not my daughter, but I’m so proud of you.”

"It just has evoked a strong emotion in people because it’s a historical building that is now going to be here for hopefully another 100 years," Elisha said. "You know, we were doing this because this is an awesome space and we knew that this was what was needed for our business and we were excited about it, and the more that we have and can do, the more that we can give and that’s always been what we’ve done. But I didn’t have any idea of the community impact until we started to slowly let people in to see the space … This is a big deal."

Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Plumeria Botanical Boutique to open Capital Avenue location Wednesday