The Breese Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 1 to celebrate two special milestones — the five-year anniversary of Events & Essentials and the grand opening of Town & Country Florist, now located within the same building and under the same ownership. The Breese Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 1 to celebrate two special milestones — the five-year anniversary of Events & Essentials and the grand opening of Town & Country Florist, now located within the same building.
Events & Essentials, located at 310 N. Main St. in Breese, has been a cornerstone for event planning and décor in the community since the Holtgraves opened the business five years ago.
The celebration also marked the Holtgrave family’s exciting new ownership of Town & Country Florist, which has officially moved into the Events & Essentials space.
“The name will stay the same, Town & Country, but it will be operated under the umbrella of Events & Essentials,” said Kellye Holtgrave, owner of Events & Essentials and Town & Country.
The combined location offers customers expanded services and convenience, bringing together floral design, event planning, and décor under one roof.
There are many novelties to choose from at Town & Country Florist, which is located in the same building as Events & Essentials in Breese. Town & Country was officially acquired by Events & Essentials back in September. Former owner of Town & Country Judy Gilbreth said after owning the business for 45 years, the opportunity came for someone else to take ownership of the business and building, and now was the perfect time to sell the business.
"It was time for me to move onto something different and to free up a little more time to be with my family,” said Gilbreth.
She won’t be going too far, though. The team that worked at Town & Country, including Gilbreth, will continue working at the new location, just under new ownership.
Gilbreth did sell the building that Town & Country was originally located at (on North Plum Street) to Revermann Chiropractic so Craig Revermann can expand his business.
To accommodate Town & Country Florist, the Holtgraves have already made several updates to their space on North Main Street, including removing walls and expanding the retail area.
"It’s baby steps forward,” said Kellye. “It’s been a fun ride, and there is also the family piece of it, where we all get to work together as a family.”
The Holtgrave family celebrating five years with Events & Essentials and also the new ownership of Town & Country Florist. Kellye's husband, Brian, has been instrumental in helping with the family business, as have all of their grown children.
When Events & Essentials first opened five years ago, Kellye Holtgrave never thought it would be as big as it is. She first opened Events & Essentials in November 2020, after spending 35 years as a pharmacist.
"Working as a pharmacist, I got to see people on their worst days," said Kellye.
Now, she gets to see them in their best days. Especially with the wedding and party planning.
“Our wedding and party planning has really taken off,” Kellye said.
Five years ago, Events & Essentials only occupied only half of the building. Now, the Holtgraves have expanded into both sides of the building, fully utilizing the back of the building, and continuing to grow.
“We are in the midst of putting in a 2,000-sq.-ft. addition in the back of the business,” Kellye said.
Since acquiring Town & Country, the team has reconfigured the layout, moving walls and opening up rooms, particularly to make space for floral coolers and related equipment.
Inside Events and Essentials, customers can find a wide variety of items — from unique home decor and personalized signs to children’s toys, seasonal gifts and Christmas decorations. Holtgrave and her team can do vinyl transfers, such as T-shirt orders, engraving and more.
And with Town & Country Florist added in, they are pretty much a one-stop shop for wedding and party décor.
“It has grown into so much more than we thought,” Kellye said at the grand opening. “We wanted to thank the (Town & Country Florist) employees who came over to us. It’s a huge asset to have them here, and thank you to my family who has been involved in this every step of the way.”
Events & Essentials and Town & Country Florist are located at 310 North Main Street in Breese. Stop by to see for yourself the various gift and floral items that they have available.
