Christmas comes to Soubas after century wait

For the first time in more than a century Christmas is coming to Souba Greenhouse in Owatonna.
The family-owned retail and wholesale operation on the western edge of Owatonna has been in existence since 1892. But until this year, Soubas had not offered Christmas.
It took cousins Jody Hugley and Jon DeMars, who took the operation over earlier this year from Hugley’s parents, Bill and Debi Souba, to bring in the festive flair for the holiday season. “We decided we didn’t have enough to do,” said DeMars. “We thought we could open up for Christmas.”
Hugley and DeMars traveled around the state in June when they found a popular family Christmas tree farm near Cambridge. “We liked the idea of having Minnesota grown trees -- something local and cut fresh,” said DeMars.
Last week Hugley and DeMars traveled to Cambridge to pick up 250 trees, including Fraser Fur, Balsam Fur, Canon Fur, White Pine and Korean Fur. The trees range in size from 3-foot to 11-foot. “We didn’t know what to expect so we started small,” DeMars commented. “It’s new to us.”
In addition to Christmas trees, Soubas will offer Christmas wreaths, poinsettias and table-top trees.
DeMars said their decision to expand comes with a love for the holiday. “I love Christmas. I love to decorate my house with lights,” he said. “It’s always a happy time of the year.”
With people spending time at home, DeMars said, they want to make their houses beautiful and smell good. “It’s fun to be a part of that,” he said.
The greenhouse has turned into a full-time gig for DeMars, who began working at Soubas when he was 12 years old.  He is excited to team up with Hugley. “We have the ability to do what we want and be our own bosses,” he said. “We work off of each other’s strengths.”
In recent years, DeMars had been working for Mills Fleet Farm. Within a 10-year period, he worked at six stores around the Midwest. “It was a good experience, but I’m ready for something new,” he said. “I was ready to get back home.”
Hugley grew up on the farm and left after graduating from high school. She worked at a jail in Bemidji for eight years before moving back to Owatonna in 2012 after having children. She began working back at the greenhouse again during the garden season.
The cousins are the fifth generation to operate the farm and greenhouse, which began with John Souba in 1892. It started as a truck farm providing fresh vegetables to local communities and then branched to a bedding plant operation allowing John to raise and sell flowers and vegetable plants in the spring. Bill and Debi operated the greenhouse for the past 40 years before turning it over to Hugley and DeMars.
“My parents decided they didn’t want to be the bosses anymore,” Hugley said. She noted they are still helping out with the operation but are taking on less responsibility and easing into retirement.
Bill and Debi actually took their first trip in 40 years last spring while the greenhouse was open with Hugley and DeMars running things.