Store owner Joanne Leiman said the reason Evanston residents should shop at FlowersFlowers is simple.

“We’ve just got the best flowers in Evanston,” Leiman said. “They’re the highest quality and the most unique. I’m biased, but our designs are the best as well.”

FlowersFlowers has floralized the Evanston community for more than 30 years from its storefront at 1110 Davis St. Leiman and her employees work to craft specialty floral arrangements for both individuals and events. 

Inside the store, flowers from roses to Leonotis leonurus, or the lion’s tail shrub, sit in vases, waiting to be arranged into bouquets by employees. 

The store imports and sells specialty flowers from countries around the world, including Holland, New Zealand and South Africa — which is partly why its products are so unique, lead floral designer Amy Esquibel said. 

“It’s an uplifting business,” she said. “People get flowers for happy occasions or to make themselves happier in sad times.” 

Leiman is the third owner of FlowersFlowers, having bought the company 23 years ago. After working as a bank project manager for seven years, Leiman decided to pursue a career shift because she didn’t enjoy the corporate world. 

The bank where she worked was a small business, and as it expanded, Leiman said she realized she preferred a more intimate workplace. She chose a flower shop because she wanted to sell luxury items and make people happy, Leiman said. 

“It’s a wonderful responsibility,” she said. “I feel like I have the opportunity to be representing something that I am proud to sell and share with the rest of the community.”

This fall, Leiman also turned to Northwestern’s student-run marketing agency, Form & Function, to explore publicity strategies for the business.

Weinberg senior Meghna Jain works as the project manager for FlowersFlowers’ marketing. She and a team of NU students have worked to grow the store’s social media presence, design posters, enhance its website and launch email marketing. 

Leiman’s passion for selling flowers is easy to see, Jain said. 

“It’s been a really cool learning experience,” Jain said. “Everything we suggest to Joanne, she immediately implements. She’s been really receptive to us.”

Leiman said she hopes to keep growing the shop in every way possible because she views owning and operating a business as an evolving process. 

Both Leiman and Esquibel enjoy the act of providing something beautiful for people, Esquibel said. To Leiman, the end results of the floral arrangements they create is even more beautiful than the sum of its parts. 

“It’s almost like an orchestra,” Leiman said. “A single instrument is quite lovely on its own, but when you put everything together, you really get something special.”

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @jocie_mintz

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