A new business started to grow after the pandemic. Botanical Flower and Gift opened in Chicago Florist

A flower and gift shop that sells ethically grown and foraged flowers. The shop is on a stretch of Wrightwood Avenue that is full of blooms in Chicago Florist

Exfoliate Botanical opened last month at 3608 W. Wrightwood Ave., and it sells custom bouquets and flowers by the stem, as well as candles, ceramics, soap, and other gifts made by local people.

Cassandra Stadnicki, the owner of the flower shop, ran the business from her home in Little Village for a long time before she opened her own store. When the pandemic came around, Stadnicki was inspired to take her home-based business to the next level.

The pandemic made a lot of people think about what they really wanted and how they could get it. She claimed to have plenty of time to think.

When Stadnicki makes arrangements, she adds wildflowers and flowers from her own garden. She also works with local farms that grow their own flowers, like the one in the picture.

“I like flowers that are in season and can be found.” I think that’s the most long-term, “she said. To me, it’s a lot of fun to see what’s growing in the prairies and other places that aren’t very well-known.

A bouquet of Exfolia Botanicals

Stadnicki is also a native of the Southwest Side, and he wants to raise the status of local artists. Ashley Trumbo soap, JJ ceramics, and Personal Space candles are some of the gifts that are still available.

Exfoliate is a word that comes from the Latin word “exfoliate,” which means “to remove leaves.” Botanical is a word that means “relating to plants.” The word “exfoliate” attracted Stadnicki because florists remove leaves from flowers when they arrange them in a way that makes them look better. There is also a symbolic meaning to the word, says the woman who spoke to me today.

She liked that analogy because it made her think of a snake getting rid of its old skin. When you start a new phase of your life, let go of your old self a little. It’s good for your body and keeps things fresh.

Stadnicki has changed a lot over the years, going from a restaurant worker and an artist to an at-home florist and the owner of a flower shop. To pay the bills, Stadnicki worked at restaurants while working on creative projects. Around five years ago, she started to crave nature, which is when she started foraging for flowers and working as a freelancer for floral firms.

“I just felt like I didn’t get enough out of it.” What do I want to do with my time? In Stadnicki’s words, Chicago Florist

During her time at Sprout Home and Bottle & Branch, Stadnicki learned how to make flower arrangements. During the time she worked in restaurants and took photos, she also learned how to be a better artist at home.

Her at-home flower shop in Chicago Florist soon took off, and she kept it going for a long time. On top of selling bouquets and helping established businesses plan weddings, she also set up flower pop-ups at local businesses like Humboldt House and her former workplace, the now-closed restaurant Passerotto in Andersonville.

Stadnicki looked around her apartment on a cold night in January, when the pandemic was raging. She decided it was time to take a risk and open her own flower shop.

The restaurants shut down because they could not make money.

Stadnicki is building her future with Exfolia Botanical in a part of west Logan Square that is becoming more and more popular. Needs & Sufficient, which opened in fall 2019, is just down the street from this coffee shop. A bakery is also going to be opening soon on this block, so keep an eye out.

Stadnicki, who lives in Little Village, says Logan Square residents have already shown her support.

“I’ve met a lot of new people and been a part of this community,” Stadnicki said. It’s been great to be a part of this community.

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A little color goes a long way!

This beach-themed wedding, which was planned by Pink Peony Events, was the best day of the summer. The bride looked beautiful in her dress, and the white and coral bouquets with the dusty blue bridesmaid’s dresses were the perfect match. The couple had a ceremony outside at Hotel Landing overlooking Lake Minnetonka, then they had a reception in the ballroom afterward. In order to make a beautiful backdrop for the ceremony, we used a mix of trees and flowers. This could be used to make a beautiful head table at the wedding reception. The final touch was to have lush centerpieces and taper candles on the table.

Flower Shops in Six Different Cities in Chicago Florist

As part of T’s new Black Book series, we put together a guide to florists in six cities around the world, from Los Angeles to Milan and Tokyo. This shows the wide range of talent in the field today. Second, we went to six more cultural capitals, like Chicago and Miami and Mexico City and Berlin and Seoul, and Sydney. There, high-profile florists are pushing the art of floristry in new directions. Some of the designers on this page are very connected to their culture and land. Raquel Cajiga, for example, often goes through the fields of southern Mexico looking for indigenous herbs that give her arrangements a unique flavor. Others, like the Sydney-based artist Lisa Cooper, use their own stories to make powerful, personal statements. . They’re sure to make their recipients happy this Mother’s Day, or any day.

During the pandemic, Taylor Bates lost her job in fashion and was stuck in a city that was put on lockdown. A few months later, Dusk Lily Floral was born when she started playing around with flowers in her apartment. She bought flowers. more