Lincoln Park Flower Shop News
Shout Out: Michael Brown, owner of The Eiffel Flower in Arlington Heights - Chicago Tribune
Tuesday, February 27, 2018Q: It looks great and smells great in here. What are some of the brands you carry?A: We have fresh roasted Dark Matter Coffee and Veruka Chocolates, which are made in Lincoln Park. We also carry Tea Forte, which is the highest quality tea around. You can make up a gift basket and put in some candles and flowers, and I've started carrying antiques. We're also a florist, which some people don't realize, so we're hoping to be very busy for Valentine's Day.Shout Out is a weekly feature in which we introduce our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban Chicago.kcullotta@tribpub.comTwitter @kcullotta... http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/arlington-heights/news/ct-ahp-shout-out-mike-brown-tl-0208-20180201-story.html
Lincoln Park police deliver flowers to residents to brighten their day - Southgate News Herald
Tuesday, January 02, 2018In addition to several other volunteering and donation drives this holiday season, Sgt. Jeff Mueller of the Lincoln Park Police Department recently went out into the community to deliver flowers to residents.“It was really cool to see their faces light up,” Mueller wrote on the department’s Facebook page.While executed by the police it was city attorney Edward Zelenak and his daughter Amelia Zelenak, who came up with the idea and donated the flowers for the deliveries. http://www.thenewsherald.com/news/lincoln-park-police-deliver-flowers-to-residents-to-brighten-their/article_8f23699c-db80-55a6-8606-755f1912e196.html
Oz Park's 'Toto' Sculpture Model Has Died, And Fans Are Leaving Flowers - DNAinfo
Tuesday, March 28, 2017Red carnations are laid at the feet of the "Dorothy and Toto" statue in Oz Park after the death of the dog who modeled for the sculpture. View Full CaptionDNAinfo/Ted CoxLINCOLN PARK — There were flowers in the snow beneath the statue of "Wizard of Oz" characters Dorothy Gale and her little dog Toto, too, in Oz Park this week, in memory of the dog who modeled for sculptor John Kearney."The love of my life, my little girl," Jackie Kelly, of Provincetown, Mass., said Tuesday, after her dog, daVinci, died in her sleep Sunday night. "Little dog, big heart."Kelly got the dog as a stray 17 years ago, and while the dog was the image of a cairn terrier, Kelly also believes she had a little Chihuahua in her, as she was small. The dog was nonetheless a natural stand-in for Toto from the very beginning."Right after I got her, within two or three weeks, I was sitting on a park bench with her when a man who was part of our community theater pulled up and asked if she could be Toto in a school production of 'The Wizard of Oz,'" Kelly recalled Tuesday. Jackie Kelly's dog daVinci modeled as Toto for John Kearney's final "Wizard of Oz" sculpture. View Full CaptionJacki...
Why This Flower Shop Left Wicker Park For 'More Gentrified' Lincoln Park - DNAinfo
Tuesday, February 07, 2017Something we're trying to do now, because of the election and all the bad juju going around, we're trying to hire refugees," Cattails co-owner Atterberry said. View Full CaptionDNAinfo/Ted CoxLINCOLN PARK — The new Fullerton Avenue streetscape drew Lisa Atterberry to Lincoln Park, but not for the reasons urban planners envisioned.When Atterberry opened her flower shop Cattails in Wicker Park 18 years before, the city was just redoing the sidewalks on Division Street, and when she saw the same basic work being done on Fullerton as she was considering a move there she thought, "Kismet."So Cattails transplanted to 1434 W. Fullerton Ave., opening on Election Day in November. "It just sort of had the same feel," she added."It got prohibitively expensive in Wicker Park," said Atterberry, co-owner of Cattails. "I wanted a corner, and it's really hard to find a small corner that's inexpensive in the city." Cattails has moved to 1434 W. Fullerton Ave. after 18 years in Wicker Park. View Full CaptionDNAinfo/Ted CoxThe new address fit the bill, however, and the streetscape work had only good associations for her."I like it now that the sidewalks are done," Atterberry said Tuesday. "It...
Flowers for Dreams brings its burlap-wrapped bouquets to Milwaukee - Chicago Tribune
Tuesday, January 24, 2017Dyme said. The magazine, One Fourth, is available at Chicago businesses including Brideside in the West Loop and Floating World Gallery in Lincoln Park. Now Flowers for Dreams is pushing north. Dyme described the company's approach to expansion as "cautious and intentional.""We're not really interested in scale at the peril of authenticity," he said.Dyme alluded to growing pains at other flower-delivery startups. Los Angeles-based BloomThat, a venture-backed flower delivery platform, pivoted away from an on-demand model last year after expanding to New York and spending upwards of $500,000 a month, the Los Angeles Times reported.Don't expect to see Flowers for Dreams, which is active on social media and runs a flower truck in good-weather months, in New York or Los Angeles. The company is backed by a small group of angel investors who put in "hundreds of thousands" of dollars, he said — it doesn't have millions to spend.Dyme said the company plans to launch in "more major metros in the middle of the country," though he declined to provide specifics. "I think (Milwaukee is) a city that's been neglected," Dyme said, adding that he hopes the Flowers for Dreams expansion might encourage other businesses to consider investing there as well. It is a city of about 600,000, according to Census data.Milwaukee's proximity will allow Flowers for Dreams to maintain the same quality and hand-delivered familiarity its Chicago customers have come to expect, Dyme said. It also allows the company to expand there in stages and to keep costs down.Bouquets cost $35 to $95, depending on size, plus more if senders choose to upgrade to a vase for delivery, which is sometimes done by bike messengers. In Chicago, next-day delivery is free. Dyme said delivery will cost $10 in Milwaukee, as it does for orders to the Chicago suburbs, until vo... http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/originals/ct-flowers-for-dreams-expansion-milwaukee-bsi-20170124-story.html
Third-generation owner seeks to turn retail plant shop into lifestyle brand - Crains New York Business
Sunday, February 10, 2019My family owns the West 96th Street building and has considered selling it, but we want to keep a retail presence there. PlantShed needs more space for production, though. We might move offices to New Jersey—where we recently got a warehouse—Long Island City or further uptown. There are stresses on the business, but we're making it work. When I took over, I realized we could not just be a retail flower store. The numbers wouldn't support it. That's why we pursued the idea of putting cafés in our shops. Retail stores also need to be a lifestyle brand.Our goal is to spread our love of plants and flowers to people around the city and beyond. I've hired employees to facilitate partnerships and make our stores young and hip. Through the cafés, we have created a way for people to gather and be surrounded by nature. Those who come in every morning for a cup of coffee think of us when they need to buy a bouquet of flowers. We want to foster community and build a local attachment to our brand.I'm a partner in Haven, a boutique hotel in Montauk, which is a separate business from PlantShed. In the past few years, we have blown Haven out with plants, putting custom-made hanging baskets in the walkways and tropical houseplants in the hotel rooms. Guests love it. Now I am working on a hotel concept. I'm trying to find a location for a farmstead, greenhouse and inn in the Hudson Valley or the Catskills. PlantShed would own it, and it would be something really unique, bridging biophilia and hospitality.It's definitely something we could bring to New York City or another city down the line. We have found that incorporating plant life in an urban setting is appealing to people. We assume these travelers want a city vibe, rather than a country or tropical feel. So it would be a matter of incorporating plants and flowers in a way that accentuates the look and feel of a city. https://www.crainsnewyork.com/asked-answered/third-generation-owner-seeks-turn-retail-plant-shop-lifestyle-brand
Better Than Roses - The Newtown Bee
Sunday, February 10, 2019The Sunshine Bouquet Company began in New Jersey before branching out to Florida and Columbia, which allowed “Sunshine to provide efficient, rapid delivery to the United States.”Ms Brisch said Big Y also offers flower bouquets and potted plants from local farms, like Cavicchio Greenhouse in Sudbury, Mass. Since Big Y is headquartered in Springfield, Mass., its local farms are located in Massachusetts or Connecticut. Newtown Big Y Store Director Angelo Soto shared a list of all of its local farms, and those include Casertano’s Greenhouse in Cheshire, Connecticut Valley Flower in Hamden, Geremia Greenhouse in Wallingford, and Grower Direct in Somers.“There are so many local things to chose from,” said Ms Brisch.From choosing to support a conscientious company to finding ways to support local farms there is more to consider than just the color of a bouquet’s assorted flowers.Off-Season OptionsConnecticut-grown flowers can be hard to find in the winter.Natalie Collette of The Gardenist of Norwalk offers floral arrangements and designs, along with garden design support and maintenance, according to her Facebook page, The Gardenist. She mostly sells her flowers to local florists and people who contact her directly. A farmer florist, Ms Collette said she has private properties where she plants seasonal flowers, all organically. She harvests and creates bouquets along with maintaining a dahlia farm in New Haven. Growers in Connecticut, unless they have a greenhouse, do not grow flowers out of season, she observed. This makes it harder for local shops to maintain locally grown flowers in the winter months.When asked for ideas for alternative Valentine’s Day presents, Ms Collette recommended gifting a living flower arrangement or foraging for a bouquet of seasonal elements. Potted plants from a nursery also provide year-long enjoyment.“If it is a perennial, you can enjoy the plant from when you purchase it [until you] plant it in the spring,” said Ms Collette, who is currently selling hous... https://www.newtownbee.com/better-roses/02102019
Third-generation owner seeks to turn retail plant shop into lifestyle brand
Tuesday, February 05, 2019My family owns the West 96th Street building and has considered selling it, but we want to keep a retail presence there. PlantShed needs more space for production, though. We might move offices to New Jersey—where we recently got a warehouse—Long Island City or further uptown. There are stresses on the business, but we're making it work. When I took over, I realized we could not just be a retail flower store. The numbers wouldn't support it. That's why we pursued the idea of putting cafés in our shops. Retail stores also need to be a lifestyle brand.Our goal is to spread our love of plants and flowers to people around the city and beyond. I've hired employees to facilitate partnerships and make our stores young and hip. Through the cafés, we have created a way for people to gather and be surrounded by nature. Those who come in every morning for a cup of coffee think of us when they need to buy a bouquet of flowers. We want to foster community and build a local attachment to our brand.I'm a partner in Haven, a boutique hotel in Montauk, which is a separate business from PlantShed. In the past few years, we have blown Haven out with plants, putting custom-made hanging baskets in the walkways and tropical houseplants in the hotel rooms. Guests love it. Now I am working on a hotel concept. I'm trying to find a location for a farmstead, greenhouse and inn in the Hudson Valley or the Catskills. PlantShed would own it, and it would be something really unique, bridging biophilia and hospitality.It's definitely something we could bring to New York City or another city down the line. We have found that incorporating plant life in an urban setting is appealing to people. We assume these travelers want a city vibe, rather than a country or tropical feel. So it would be a matter of incorporating plants and flowers in a way that accentuates the look and feel of a city. https://www.crainsnewyork.com/asked-answered/third-generation-owner-seeks-turn-retail-plant-shop-lifestyle-brand
N.Y. man who buried the man he murdered behind a N.J. florist shop found guilty - NJ.com
Tuesday, January 22, 2019Vance said in a release. "He was murdered in cold blood in a crime of unconscionable violence, his body mutilated, thrown from a fourth-story window, and abandoned behind a florist's shop in New Jersey."Comunale was stabbed 15 times on Nov. 13 at Rackover's East 59th Street apartment following a party also attended by Lawrence Dilione, 28, of Jersey City and Max Gemma, 30, of Oceanport, authorities said.Both men are also facing charges related to the incident, including a second-degree murder charge for Dilione.At about 9:45 p.m. that night, Rackover and Dilione drove Comunale's body, which had been burned, to a field behind a florist on Monmouth Boulevard in Oceanport and buried it, investigators have said. A court motion filed on behalf of Gemma, who is the son of former Oceanport Mayor Gordon Gemma in January claimed Dilione, a former Oceanport resident, admitted to investigators that he knocked Comunale unconscious after an argument over cigarettes, the New York Post reported.Dilione told investigators that Rackover then viciously kicked and beat the defenseless Comunale. After realizing Comunale was severely injured and afraid of being arrested, the motion says, Rackover said: "We have to kill him," according to the report.Rackover is expected to be sentenced on Dec. 5, a release from the district attorney's office said.The charges against Dilione and Gemma were still pending Friday, Vance said.Dilione was charged with second-degree murder, hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence and three counts of concealment of a human corpse. Gemma was charged with hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence.Dilione was scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 14 and Gemma's court da... https://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2018/11/ny_man_who_buried_the_man_he_murdered_behind_a_nj_florist_shop_found_guilty.html