Main Street Botanicals opened in November of 2023, but our story begins long before then. Our owners, Brent and Jay, fell in love with downtown Mahomet and worked for almost three years reconstructing a nearly abandoned building into their dream retail space.
Brent grew up in a small town in Illinois on a five acres, so he was always surrounded by all things plants and flowers. Brent's grandmother and mother were avid gardeners, and his aunt Jeanette owned her own flower shop. Brent spent most of his younger years exploring and experiencing as much of the world as possible. He even briefly designed wigs for Chicago plays, including Ragtime, Showboat, and Evita! During his travels, he found a deep love and passion for all things art, nature, and design focused. He began creating stunning landscape designs for his friends, family, and local businesses in his free time, and continued to expand his horizons to include interior design as well.
When Brent and Jay moved back to Mahomet in 2012, Brent retired from the hospitality industry and started doing more design work. In the same year, Brent's mom, who had become his best friend over the years, was diagnosed with Lewy bodies dementia. Brent and Jay decided to honor Brent's family by creating Main Street Botanicals with hopes that Brent's mom would be able to see the store. Sadly, in 2022, Brent's mom passed away, and she was never able to see the finished shop. Main Street Botanicals has carried on in honor of her with the goal of getting flowers into the hands of as many people as possible.
We hope to inspire individuals to pursue anything design focus, whether that be interior design, floral design, landscaping, or gardening. We aim to give fresh flowers to people who are not able to have the privilege of fresh flowers frequently. We have loved collaborating with local organizations and meeting all the amazing people in this wonderful community. We hope to continue to serve our community to the best of our ability!
Owner
Brent Droege
Brent is one of the two owners of Main Street Botanicals. His love of nature and art inspired this place, and he is in charge of all of the interior design at the shop! His favorite part of the job is connecting with people and helping to provide the community with a comfortable and personal shopping experience. Brent loves to be outdoors and spends his time outside gardening or traveling with Jay.
P.S—if you ever want to bribe Brent, bring him baked goods (his favorite are from Six Red Chairs in Mahomet) and he will do whatever you want!
Owner
Jay Salmon
Jay is one of the two owners of Main Street Botanicals. Jay is our resident delivery driver and puppy lover, and he loves to spend his time at the shop giving our resident dog all the kisses and cuddles.
Jay loves to travel and try all different kinds of food—his favorite food he's ever had was goulash in Hungary!
Florist & Manager
Brooke Beguin
Brooke has been working at Main Street Botanicals since the very beginning. She's always had a love for nature and art; she was thrilled when her dad introduced her to the shop owners and explained what the shop was hoping to accomplish.
Brooke graduated from Parkland College with a Horticulture degree, and is a certified florist through the Canadian Institute of Floral Design. Her favorite part of her job is creating unique floral arrangements for weddings and specialty events—she loves getting to bring people's visions to life!
Brooke loves spending time with friends and boyfriend, going swimming, listening to music, and exploring new places!
Seasonal Employee
Marah Gilbert
Marah has been working at Main Street Botanicals since we opened. What started with Marah asking, “Can I sell my preserved flowers in your store?” turned into a “Will you come work for me?” She had just begun to love working with flowers, and that love only grew so much more when we welcomed her into the shop!
Marah is currently a seasonal employee, as she is studying Conservation Law Enforcement at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. You will find her here during the summers and short breaks, and dropping off her butterflies on the weekends she is home. Her favorite part about her job is learning more about nature and getting the opportunity to explore creative horizons each day–she loves coming into work and brainstorming new creative concepts for the shop!
Marah is recently engaged to Brian (whom you will commonly see in the shop), and she loves all things preservation. When she is not in the shop, you will find her preserving flowers, pinning butterflies/beetles, and wedding planning!
Head of Security & Human Resources
Hestia - "Tia"
Little Miss Hestia is our newest (and cutest) addition to the shop! Hestia is a miniature long haired dachshund who was born on New Years Eve, so she isn't even 1 year old yet! She weighs a whopping 12 pounds and is terrified of cardboard boxes, but she loves people (especially kids!) and she makes an amazing little door greeter!
Hestia is named after the greek goddess of the hearth and home, because her warm presence makes our shop feel like home! She loves to play fetch, cuddle, and make tons of new friends!
We kindly request that you do not pick up Hestia during your visit, as dachshunds can easily injure their backs, but we would love for you to come and say hi!