KINGSTON -- A flower shop in Luzerne County was set to close for good in September as the family prepared for retirement, but the feature Newswatch 16 did on the shop over the summer gave a new family the opportunity to pursue their dream while keeping the one wish of the original owners.
"I think we found our perfect match in Michelle," Maria Mattern of Mattern's Flower Shop said.
The last time we visited the shop in Kingston was in July, and it was preparing to close its doors for good. The Mattern family was struggling to find someone who would buy it. That's when Michelle Valentino and her husband stepped in.
"One day in the summer, I was watching the news, and the story popped across. I, of course, immediately ran into my husband's office and was like, 'You have to see this,'" Valentino said.
Valentino was doing flowers for weddings on the side at the time, but seeing Newswatch 16's story was the first step in the journey of making Mattern's her own.
"Our one wish was that Mattern's would continue because we've had three generations of outstanding service and quality, and it really meant a lot for us and the community that it would continue," Mattern said
Last year, when the Mattern family was getting the shop ready for the Christmas season, they decided it would be their last and it was time to retire. This year, the new owners are preparing for their first Christmas season.
The shop's annual holiday open house will be this Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
"It's two of the busiest days of the year, as I've been told, so I sent the mailers out for those. I'm just really excited to finally be able to say, 'Welcome, we're the new owners,'" Valentino said.
Even though it is under new ownership, a little piece of the Mattern family still remains. The Valentinos decided to keep the name and the charm that truly makes it Mattern's.
"It's such a staple of the community, and I know from being in the shop, reading the Facebook posts, talking to customers, that everyone loves this for the business that it is. We're not going to change anything. We're just going to grow it and back it better," Valentino said.
The Valentinos are also keeping one of Mattern's most loyal employees on board and even promoted her to floral manager.