Family Floral Business Grows Thanks to Customer Service

has been serving Tinley Park residents for more than 20 years. It opened its doors in 1990 and, after moving twice, settled in the corner of the strip mall at 16633 Oak Park Ave.  

“We love everything about Tinley Park” said Judy Brunig, who owns the shop with her husband and one of her two daughters. “We’ve lived in Tinley Park for 43 years. It’s the only place we’d consider doing a business.” 

The lack of local florists is what made the Brunigs decide to open a flower shop, and the business has bloomed thanks to the natural floral talents of one of the couple's daughters, who created  the shop's Make My Day Bouquet. The $5 arraignment, which includes daisies, baby sprouts and greens, is the store's best seller.

“And they last long, so people come back and order more,”  Brunig said. 

The Brunigs pride themselves on their repeat customers. They do very little advertising for the shop and rely on "word-of-mouth" thanks to the service they’ve given others to get customers through the doors.

“Quality is really what sets us apart,” Brunig said “Quality and customer service.  A lot of times someone will come in and say they went somewhere else, and they were rude and abrupt; they blew them off a little. We spend time with our customers.”

Spending time with customers also makes the business personal for Brunig. 

“When people come in for funerals, I usually stand there and cry with them," she said. "You get wrapped up in their loss.” 

At those times Brunig hopes her service and the special attention paid on the flowers helped to brighten someone’s life. “That makes you feel good," she added.

The phone ringing off the hook also brings a huge smile to Brunig’s face. On the Friday before Valentine’s Day, the telephone rattled almost every 10 seconds with customers pre-ordering flowers for the holiday. As an entrepreneur this pleased Bruning, but as a mother, it gave her pause. 

“We’re getting quite a few pre-orders, but sometimes you wonder," she said. "On Mother’s Day, we get people coming in at 4 p.m. saying they forgot it's Mothers Day. They’ll take whatever we got at that point. That doesn’t happen as often for Valentine’s Day.”