Milwaukee flower shop continues to grow, give back
MILWAUKEE (CBS58) -- One local flower shop is continuing to grow and give back to the community.
"We like to say every bouquet benefits a local charity, which is true," Flowers for Dreams Lead Wedding and Event Designer Drew Hawley said.
"We donate 25 percent of our net profits to local charities within the communities that we're in. Our most recent charity that we were donating to was centralized around water conservation, and being in Wisconsin, being in Milwaukee, and having the lake right there that definitely is a key impact for us. It just makes a big difference when we're able to actually interact with the companies that are doing so much to preserve our wonderful lakes and our wonderful water system."
The Midwest-based company expanded into Milwaukee a few years ago. Since then, they have collectively donated over a million dollars to various charities.
"Getting to that million-dollar mark and writing that big check was just a dream upon dreams come true. For us here in Milwaukee, being able to put forth a good percentage of that just makes it that much better," Hawley said.
The Milwaukee location has since expanded to a bigger location, not far from its original shop on W. Pittsburgh Ave.
"We actually moved from our old location across the street in June of last year into this wonderful new big space. We have twice the cooler room we can now host and do many more events, even within our four walls, where before we were very limited," Hawley said. "We knew we wanted to stay within the third ward. That's definitely where the heart of Milwaukee is. It's where our clientele definitely wants to see us, and it's easy to get to."
The company also likes to do all the hard work for you when it comes to buying flowers.
"I would definitely recommend ordering early," Hawley said. "However, we think ahead for you, and we'll have arrangements ready to have that you can pick up and purchase. Or, if you're a little bit more DIY savvy, you can take [the bouquet] apart and do your own arrangement and try to mimic [our arrangements]."
The team at Flowers for Dreams is also on hand to help teach you how to make sure your flowers last as long as possible.
"A lot of people get flowers, and they're like, 'they only lasted a week.' If you want to want your flowers to last a lot longer, think about placement. Flowers don't really like to be warm, so avoid the kitchen. Place them in a nice cooler area away from windows, away from a heating vent," Hawley said. "You're going to want to check on [your arrangement] every day to see how much it's drinking so you know when to refresh it."
Hawley recommends changing your flower's water every two days and trimming the stems when you do to ensure your floral fantasy does not wilt before it should.
"This time of year, having some bright colorful floral really makes your day," he said.