Regent founder Brandon Strong’s vision is to make the world more beautiful and connects local artists with customers who love their work. He has been making strides toward that vision for years.

In 2016, Brandon founded Event Masters Limited, an event management business and an outlet for his natural creativity and floral talent. With a passion for handmade goods, he sought to use florals wherever possible in the exquisite events he was planning and managing for clients.

A year later, Brandon combined his talent for event management with his passion for handmade goods. He founded The Great Lakes Market; a pop-up art market offered four times each year in our Great Lakes Bay Region. As the proprietor of two successful businesses, Brandon brought his full vision together into one space: the brick-and-mortar retail shop and event space that is Regent Floral & Mercantile.

Brandon enjoys using creativity to inspire and bring joy to others. When Brandon isn’t working (with his 125-pound Gold Retriever Moose at his side) at Regent Floral & Mercantile, he enjoys traveling and visiting flower shops, garden centers, and art museums for inspiration.

Wondering how we got our name? It all started in 1916 when Fred Williams came to Bay City as the Bijou Theater manager (now the State Theater). He was later assigned to another theater, but, like us today, he loved Bay City and the friends he had made here. Determined to stay, he conceived the idea to build his own theater – one that would be a monument to the city he loved.

The Regent Theater opened March 30, 1918, and featured both live performances and motion pictures with seating for 1,400. When you stand in our shop today, you are standing in what was originally the lobby of the Regent Theater, with its terrazzo floor, terracotta walls, and decorations to match. Although the Regent Theater closed in 1957, remnants still exist today if you know where to look!