Algonquin, IL Florists

Algonquin Flower Shop News

Florist's career continues to bloom - Brockville Recorder and Times

Howard Bus Service coach has taken Brockville and area residents to the show, she said.Harvey got into the floral industry right out of high school. She went to college at Algonquin, then started working at Colonial Flowers. She has been in the floral industry for 18 years.Last November, members of the Canadian Academy of Floral Art elected her as the organization’s next president. She will assume the position in September. A frequent writer in industry publications, Harvey travels the world for her work, leading seminars and workshops that emphasize floral therapy, although most of her work is in the Toronto and Ottawa areas. Harvey said she comes home to Brockville as often as she can and enjoys helping with local causes and activities. http://www.recorder.ca/2018/03/08/florists-career-continues-to-bloom

Florists arrange to retire - The Kingston Whig-Standard

Marilyn, laughing at the memory.A few months later, Earl purchased the downstairs portion from his brother Art, giving the family some much-needed space.In 1976, Paul graduated from Algonquin College with a diploma in horticulture."He tried to get a job with a flower shop in Kingston but he couldn't find one, so we opened our own shop," Peter said.The flower shop opened on Raglan Road, next to the salon. Business became so successful it moved over to the larger, south side of the building. A greenhouse was added in the early 1980s.Siblings Beverly and Kevin also worked in the flower shop at one time, but it has been Marilyn, Paul and Greg who have been the anchors."Combined we've made it work," Marilyn said. "We needed each other to make it special."Paul is a horticulturist and master florist. Marilyn lauded his work ethic, and Peter said "we call him the Energizer Bunny. He moves at one speed but he never stops."Greg, Marilyn said, is "very talented, very artistic" and creates their "high-end bouquets.""It's been an honour being a florist for the city of Kingston," Greg said."I'm married to the business," Paul said.Ironically, on the final weekend of business, the shop, according to Peter and Marilyn, is handling the largest and most lucrative job in its 41-year history -- a wedding that includes floral arrangements in the church, including pew bows, and at the reception, including arrangements at each table.On the final day of business, Tuesday between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., the Blaneys are inviting their customers to drop by for a party, which will include cake and a violinist playing Irish jigs."Everyone knows us by name," Marilyn said. "Customers that come in here more than once or twice, we know their name. We took a lot of care with each and every order. We know what they wanted and we delivered it."On Wednesday, however, Marilyn, Paul and Greg won't have the flower shop to call home anymore."I have mixed emotions because this is a big change in my life," said Marilyn, who plans to spend her first day of retirement with her feet up while sipping tea and reading a magazine or book.Greg intends to get outside that day."I'm going to sit on Princess Street on a bench, with a coffee, and watch the cars go by," he said. "I've always wanted to do that."Paul, who usually wakes up before 6 a.m. to receive deliveries, won't have to on Wednesday."I'm going to sleep in," he said, smiling.mnorris@postmedia.com... http://www.thewhig.com/2017/10/26/florists-arrange-to-retire

Florist to be showcased nationally - Brockville Recorder and Times

A: I was actually a dancer and getting into university, and I was competing but I hurt myself, so I had to go to college for something else while I was healing. I took a floral design course at Algonquin College while I was waiting to dance professionally. I loved the floral design course so much I just kept going with horticulture, business, and all sorts of different educational platforms, and now it’s been 16 years and I’m still in the industry. It’s funny what the universe will throw at you, but I never went back to teaching.Q: Did you have any horticultural experience flowers prior to taking the college course?A: I was always a crafty kid. I always played in the gardens at the apartment buildings where I used to live at. I’ve always loved flowers. It was Mr. Cook at TISS who inspired me. I won all the awards at TISS for art and he said, this is a neat art form, and so I did. Thank you Mr. Cook!Q: How long have you been in the industry?A: Right out of high school I started working. I went to college at Algonquin then I started working at Colonial Flowers, then got married and moved to Alberta, and I’ve been working all over the place for 16 years.Q: What do you like so much about floral design?A: I love art. It’s amazing what this medium can do. A lot of people don’t think floral design is an art form, but it’s got texture, it’s got colour. But what’s neat about this medium is that they’re alive. There’s science behind it, there’s math behind it, there’s light levels. There’s food quantities, temperatures of water, temperatures outside. There’s so much you have to learn about botany. There’s so much to learn about the plant matter itself to be able to do it correctly.Flowers are used ... http://www.recorder.ca/2016/03/05/florist-to-be-showcased-nationally

Hoffmann family to acquire another Naples business - Naples Daily News

David Hoffmann, chairman of Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate and the founder of Osprey Capital, a private equity company based in Illinois, said his family's event companies in Naples were buying so many flowers that it made a lot of sense to purchase an upscale florist — and Kaleidoscope rose to the top of the list of choices for many reasons, including its impressive growth in such a short time. "They are doubling in sales every year," Hoffmann said. "We think now they will quadruple just because of how many flowers we're involved in with our event planning businesses."   The Hoffmanns' event planning business is only expected to grow. "We are trying to round out... https://www.naplesnews.com/story/money/business/local/2019/03/11/hoffmann-family-acquires-naples-florist/3129132002/

Owner Of Wicker Park's Asrai Garden To Judge On 'Full Bloom,' A Competitive Floral Arranging Show From HBO Max - Block Club Chicago

No one was doing this type of thing when I started,” she said. Cronin’s arrangements celebrate the “wild” look of flowers, often including prairie greens native to Illinois or taxidermied insects. In addition to flowers, Asrai sets itself apart from other shops by including a thoughtfully curated selection of products, such as essential oils and home decor, Cronin said. Both of these approaches — wild, natural flowers and curated complementary products — were a steep departure from the typical flower shops of the ’90s, Cronin said. In describing her approach to floral arrangements, Cronin referenced the “Dutch master” philosophy of keeping things natural. While she has many favorite kinds of flowers, Cronin said she has a particular affection for Queen Anne’s lace and its siblings in the Ammi family. “I want to make a massive display of weeds,” Cronin said. “I think that’s beautiful.” Cronin grew up on the Northwest Side. Her mother worked as a nurse at St. Mary’s hospital in Wicker Park. As a child, Cronin hung out in Wicker Park. She often ate at a Polish diner underneath the “L” train tracks. She also took many trips to the Chicago Botanic Garden, where she attended children’s workshops on gardening. Asrai Garden in Wicker Park.Asrai Garden/ FacebookAs a young adult Cronin lived in Wicker Park and worked in a floral shop, followed by a brief stint making flower arrangements for events. When she was in her mid-20s she decided to open Asrai Garden. The name was inspired by the Brian Fraod book, “The Dark Crystal.” “Wicker Park has always felt like home,” she said. Asrai, which opened in Wicker Park in 1999, will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Dec. 1. To celebrate, the store’s larger second location in Fulton Market, 309 N. Morgan St., will host a ’90s Wicker Park-themed celebration at the Ace Hotel and other nearby businesses.RELATED: Asrai Garden To Bring 1999 Wicker Park To Fulton Market For Boutique’s 20-Year AnniversaryThe party runs Nov. 30-Dec. 1 and will include pop-ups from long-shuttered Wicker Park favorites including Earwax Cafe, the Lava Lounge and Jinx Cafe.“There’s not much left in Wicker Park that feels super special,” Cronin said. “There’s just a few of us left.” Today, Cronin lives on Chicago’s South Side in Kenwood, where gardeners like herself are “taking it all back to the prairie” by planting native plants along the lakeshore. Do stories like this matter to you? a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://api.pico.tools/pn/blockclubchicago/9x2z8yqx" target="_bl... https://blockclubchicago.org/2019/11/14/owner-of-wicker-parks-asrai-garden-to-judge-on-full-bloom-a-competitive-floral-arranging-show-from-hbo-max/

Local flower shops “petaling it forward” Wednesday - week.com

EAST PEORIA (WEEK) — Flower shops in central Illinois were “petaling” it forward Wednesday.Staff members at Becks Florist were giving out free flowers in hopes to spread kindness and brighten everyone’s day.“Emotions are what it’s all about. Whether it (is) smiles, tears, or whatever it may be, emotions make people happy,” said Becks Florist owner Greg Becks.Becks in East Peoria is just one of many participating in the area.Other shops “petaling” it forward include:Picket Fence in ChillicotheIvy Gardens in El PasoFlower Basket in EurekaFlowers by Julia in PrincetonG.P. Miller Floral in PeoriaSterling Flower Shop in PeoriaHy-Vee in PeoriaDespite the rebuild, the Greenhouse Flower Shop in Pekin will be participating at the Pekin Post Office and Beechams Market in Tremont. ... https://week.com/news/top-stories/2019/10/23/local-flower-shops-petaling-it-forward-wednesday/

Nexus Capital Management Acquires FTD's Consumer and Florist Businesses - PRNewswire

I look forward to working with the FTD leadership team and all of our employees to take FTD to new heights."FTD headquarters will remain in the Chicago, Illinois area.About FTDFTD has been a leader in the floral industry for over a century.  We are a private equity-backed company with one of the largest florist networks in the world, supported by the iconic Mercury Man® logo displayed in over 30,000 floral shops in more than 125 countries.  We partner with local florists to hand-craft floral arrangements available for same-day delivery on FTD.com and ProFlowers.com.  In addition to delivering flowers, we support locally-owned retail florists by providing technology, marketing, and digital services to members of our florist network.  For all of life's occasions and everyday moments, visit FTD.com, ProFlowers.com and ProPlants.com, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @ftdflowers. We love helping our customers #sayitwithflowers.About NexusNexus was formed in 2013 to make opportunistic investments in a broad range of companies and industries. Nexus employs a flexible investment mandate that focuses on long-term value creation by partnering with leading management teams and businesses.  For more information on Nexus, please visit www.nexuslp.com.    Contact: Emily Bucholz FTD, LLC 630-724-6692 l ebucholz@ftdi.comSOURCE FTD; Nexus... https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nexus-capital-management-acquires-ftds-consumer-and-florist-businesses-300906422.html