One of the oldest retail businesses on Mercer Island has a new owner.

Mercer Island Florist, the 2005 business of the year, is changing hands, from Diane Larson to Jennifer Hagstrom.

An Island resident, Hagstrom has two boys who were raised on the Island and is married to Ken Hagstrom, a retired Mercer Island policeman.

“Building on its well-deserved reputation for excellent customer service, Jennifer plans to extend the store’s hours to 7 p.m. on weekdays and will be open on Sundays as well,” according to an announcement from the Mercer Island Chamber of Commerce. “The same friendly faces you’ve seen for the past many years will be there to help you.”

Mercer Island Florist has been in business for 55 years, since 1963, and opened when Earl and Anne Payne bought Browne’s Florist and Nursery.

When the Paynes retired in 1986, longtime designer Shirley Larson, Diane’s mother, took over the business. Diane Larson has run the business since her mother’s retirement, and in 2003 the shop relocated to its current site at 3006 78th Ave. SE.

Larson said she is “thankful and extremely grateful for the 28 years of support.”

For more information, go to www.miflorist.com or call 206-232-2990.