Mother's Day Flowers and Gifts Come from Milwaukee's More Distictive Florists

Mother's Day is one of the busiest days for the floral industry. Second only to Valentines Day, some shops are known to hire extra staff just for this busiest of holidays.

This means that as a consumer, planning ahead is everything. Any customer oriented business will cater to special orders. But asking for this treatment on May 8th, two days before Mother's Day, will only cause frustration for all involved. By visiting your chosen florist in April, you will be able to ask for Mom's favorite flowers to be ordered at a time when supply is still elastic.

The following is a brief list of Milwaukee's notable florists with locations peppered throughout Metropolitan Milwaukee. All have a history of providing distinctive, beautiful florals for decades in every possible price range. Often, they will even re-wrap their simplest bouquets into tissue and cellophane for gift giving at little or no additional charge.

A brief stylistic note: American industry arrangements make extensive use of greens and conservatively placed, geometrically arranged blooms. In today's market, where greens cost as much as blooms, the more lush European style which favors densely arranged blooms touching each other, delivers a far more extravagant feel for about the same cost.

Morehead & Rhodes

10505 N. Cedarburg Road

Mequon, WI 53092

262-242-7728

Milwaukee's most notable arrangements for more than a decade have come from Morehead & Rhodes in Mequon. Designed in the more elaborate European style, Morehead & Rhodes benchmark is "It's not done until it's overdone." The store is also a destinations for every imaginable gift item, all purchased with a somewhat whimsical eye.

Sendik's Wyndham Village

(Highway 100 & Drexel Ave.)

7780 S. Lovers Lane Road

Franklin, WI 53132

414-425-5400

www.sendiksfinefoods.com

With all the Sendik's owned by cousins named Balistreri, keeping the different organizations straight can be a challenge. This is Thomas Balistreri's company with two locations, one in Brookfield and this new one in Franklin. What sets the Franklin Floral Department apart is its manager, Lisa Bonner, who was a designer at Morehead & Rhodes for 10 years. Her distinctive style is also European based, but she brings a vivid color sensibility to flowers that sets her apart. With gift items and a large selection of cards, you are not sacrificing a thing by using this grocery based florist.

Sendik's Whitefish Bay

500 E. Silver Spring Drive

Whitefish Bay, WI 53217

414-962-9525

Sendik's Wauwatosa

8616 W. North Ave

Wauwatosa, WI 53226

414-456-9525

http://www.sendiksmarket.com

These are just two of the group of stores owned by siblings, Ted, Patrick, Nick & Margaret. The Whitefish Bay store has on trend arrangements, often using hand tied bouquets as their vehicle. Gift items are also available.

The Wauwatosa store's gift section is a constantly rotating area full of seasonal items that lure you into purchasing again and again. It may well be the smaller, concentrated display area, but Wauwatosa always feels like it has more stock than Whitefish Bay.

Locker's at the Market

(Located inside the Milwaukee Public Market in the Historic Third Ward)

400 N. Water Street

Milwaukee, WI 53202

Call any Locker's location & ask to be transferred

http://www.lockersflorist.com

This company began in 1911 and has since consolidated other locations under the Locker's banner. I find the Public Market store to have the most distinctive character offering small gift items and hand tied bouquets, as well as live orchids. Sara, the manager, will help you find something Mom-worthy.

Tulipomania European Flower Market

319 E, Howard Ave.

Milwaukee, WI 53207

414-489-9463

http://www.tulipomaniafloral.com

The seemingly misplaced operational Dutch windmill on Howard Avenue houses Tulipomania. Owner Michael Gaffney named his business after the 17^th century fever that rocked the Dutch economy, almost destroying it. A well known floral design teacher, Gaffney's knowledge and advice are welcome additions to every floral purchase.