Meet Juli Tkalec of A Pretty Flower by A&A Floral Arts in Lincoln Square

Today we’d like to introduce you to Juli Tkalec.

Juli, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Our family moved to Chicago 1990, fleeing the impending war in our homeland. Back home, Dragica, my mother, had a flower shop. It was always her dream and there was nothing that enjoyed more. My mother is an avid gardener as well and her tomatoes are my absolute favorite. After settling in Chicago, she opened a flower shop on Lincoln Avenue in Lakeview called Julija Flowers. Knowing very little English, this was a challenge for her, she relied heavily on her business partners. Nearby on Belmont Avenue, a flower shop called A&A Floral Arts was owned by a woman named Gina. A&A Floral Arts was opened in 1955 and was incredibly well established. In 1992 Gina offered my mother the business on a very loose payment plan. My mother jumped on the opportunity and never looked back. I grew up in the shop, doing homework while my mother arranged flowers. I loved to “play” in the shop, pretended I was a grown up selling flowers. I remember learning how to make a large bow. To this day nothing was more difficult for me to learn than how to make a bow. At the age of sixteen I began working part-time alongside my mother. It was incredibly challenging and every small victory was celebrated with incredible pride.

During the financial crisis post-9/11, we were forced to close our storefront on Belmont Avenue. My mother still worked for special clients, events and funerals out of a rented space as needed. We couldn’t turn our backs on our clients. I was in college at the time studying photography and took a full-time job as a front desk agent at a hotel to help pay for school. In 2006 my mother came across an empty store front in Lincoln Square on Western, near Wilson. We decided to open our doors again! Business was picking up again but I still worked at the hotel as the shop couldn’t sustain two employees full-time.

In 2009 I created A Pretty Flower. It was always my destiny to take over the family business, but I also wanted to rebrand and find a fresh take on our identity. During our 8 years on Western we focused on our presence in the community, making a name for ourselves again. In 2014, we found a large space at 2334 W Lawrence Avenue in Lincoln Square, two blocks from our Western location. We decided to make an investment and move. We rebranded our business, designed and remodeled our space and opened our door at our new location on March 1st, 2014.

Over the last three years our business has grown so much, we are incredibly fortunate to have such a loyal following not only within our community but all over the city. We have strong relationships with the businesses in our community and our Chamber of Commerce is an invaluable resource to us all here in Lincoln Square. We wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for all the help, guidance and support from Rudy and Katie at the Chamber. We participate in many events throughout the year including the Lincoln Square Wine Stroll in the spring and autumn. We believe that cultivating these sincere relationships within our community is so important for not only our own success but for the community as a whole. When businesses succeed we all win. We believe that the unity within a community is immediately apparent when businesses take care of one another. That’s what we have going here, in Lincoln Square and we couldn’t be happier with all that we have and all that we are.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Having to close our store post-9/11 was incredibly sad and difficult for us. The road is definitely smoother when our community purchases from us instead of ordering online from big companies. Nurturing a small business is always a challenge, especially selling perishables. We seldom have to throw any product away and for this we are incredibly grateful. But, if people stopped buying flowers, we would be in trouble! Otherwise, we take it one day at a time, bringing smiles to people’s faces whenever and wherever we can. Keeping focused on that one goal makes even the struggles a little easier.

A Pretty Flower by A&A Floral Arts – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We pride ourselves on creativity in design. We sell fresh cut flowers, vessels and indoor plants. You won’t find a gift-shop of sort built into our store. We are a flower shop, through and through. I take all of the photos of our arrangements and manage our website and social media outlets. I do my best to keep all avenues updated consistently. Our customers love seeing new pieces on our site. We offer online ordering for every day flower arrangements. We do weddings, events, galas, funerals and nurture our relationships with our walk-in customers very heavily. We would not sustain without our amazing customers that walk into our door every day. We do this all on our own. We do not participate in programs such as Teleflora or FTD, nor do we accept orders forwarded by those services. We think it’s important to take the middle man out of floral design. We do not spend much on marketing. Instead we participate with many non-profit organizations such as The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and The Multiple Sclerosis Society and receive a lot of exposure through our participation with them. I do most of our deliveries, along with a couple loyal drivers who also happen to be friends. We have a lovely apprentice named Carolyn and feel so incredibly grateful and humbled by all that we have and all that we have accomplished. We believe that floral design is an intricate art, we don’t simply make arrangements, we make art. We hold ourselves to what feels like impossible standards at times and aim heavily on pleasing our customers. We value feedback and are always looking for new ways to improve.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Making people happy. If people are smiling, we are doing well. Profit comes from a magical give and take between risk and gamble. But happiness in customers cannot be bought. That’s what we focus most on, the things that cannot be purchased. If our customers refer us to the most important people in their lives, we are successful.

Pricing:

• Minimum purchase of $45 required for delivery orders

Contact Info:

• Address: 2334 W Lawrence Ave
• Website: www.aprettyflower.com
• Phone: 773-506.0806
• Email: info@aprettyflower.com
• Instagram: @aprettyflowerchicago
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aprettyflowerchicago/
• Twitter: @aprettyflower

Image Credit:
The photo of the bride and groom: Christina Cernik Photography
All other images: Juli Tkalec A Pretty Flower