Southern Indiana Business September-October 2020 | Page 25

Standing at the center of Aebersold Florist and Gifts are owners Lana and David Aebersold and their
daughter, Lara Collett.
Flower Power
Roots run deep at Aebersold Florist and Gifts
By Valerie Zell \ Photos by Bill Hanson
Tucked away in one of the greenhouses at the back of Aebersold Florist
and Gifts, you’ll find a jade plant that’s just as old, if not older, than the
112-year-old business that’s cared for it for the past century. When a branch
gets too heavy, it drops off into a waiting pot below where it reroots itself
and continues to grow.
It’s an apropos metaphor for the longtime New Albany business, which was started in
1908 by two Swiss immigrants and has been passed down, time and again, to now the
third and fourth-generation owners of the Aerbersold family.
“It was a very small business when we started,” said Lana Aebersold, who began working
there at 16 when she met her future husband, David Aebersold. “It was a mom and
pop shop. Today we have 15 employees and two locations.”
The flower shop hasn’t moved from its location on Silver Street since David Aebersold’s
grandparents opened its doors, although it has been remodeled to add an atrium to
the front and greenhouses to the back. It’s also expanded to include a satellite location
in Sellersburg.
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