Searching for a special gift to give or to accompany a floral arrangement? If you live near Woodstock or McHenry County in Illinois, Apple Creek Flowers has you covered! Run by current owners Lynn Nattress and Wendy Legare, the store has an industrial-rustic vibe that makes shopping a treasure hunt, with new items to discover at every turn. From cards and chocolates to candles, jewelry, men’s gifts, green plants, home decor and much more, you are sure to find that perfect something.
Located roughly one hour west of Chicago, Woodstock is where the Bill Murray movie “Groundhog Day” was filmed. We learned this and much more about Apple Creek Flowers when we interviewed co-owner Lynn Nattress:
How long have you been in business?
Apple Creek Flowers celebrates its 37th year in business this month. The shop has always been in Woodstock, but in four different locations over the years. Wendy and I are the fifth owners of the business, having bought it in the Spring of 2016.
What made you decide to open a flower shop?
Wendy and I were employees here for many years under the previous owner, and when the opportunity arose for a new owner, we partnered together to run the shop. Wendy is a third-generation florist, with a business management degree. She manages all of our floral designers, bridal consultations, and is the head floral designer. I have a degree in fine art, with 35 years of customer service experience. I handle all of the paperwork and manage the front end of the store. We know what each other does, but we also know where our strengths are, so our partnership works really well!
When did you add a selection of non-flower “gifts” to your inventory?
The shop has always had a small gift selection. After purchasing the shop however, we started to introduce our own style of gifts and home decor. People were excited for our new industrial/rustic look, with a much larger selection of exclusive gifts and home decor.
Approximately how much of your sales revenue comes from gifts?
Approximately 35 percent of our revenue comes from gifts, and we see the trend continuing in an upward direction. While the core of our business is floral, we see the younger generations tending away from flowers as gifts, to gifts with purpose and meaning that will retain their value, and last for a long time.
What are some top-selling gifts and popular trends in the industry and your store?
We continue to see an increase in sympathy gifts over floral arrangements and plants. Again, people wanting products that are useful, and decorative.
Why do you think DEMDACO products work in the mix of your inventory?
The DEMDACO products we carry fit into the aesthetic of our store, are good quality and are at a great price-point for our customers.
What are your top selling DEMDACO products?
Our top-selling DEMDACO products are the Sharon Nowlan pictures, Giving Shawls and Giving Bears. New products in our shop that seem to be moving well are also the black and white Floral Appetizer/Wine/Kitchen items, as well as the ceramic mini vases and k-cup mugs.
What are the most popular reasons your customers buy gifts?
We often get customers looking for hostess gifts, small gifts for office friends, gifts for loved ones, or those “hard-to-buy-for” people on their list. It seems customers are gravitating to contemporary, clean-line decor items that have a vintage pattern or design. We also see quite a few people picking up gifts for loved ones for special occasions. The city of Woodstock has a quaint town square with a variety of shops and eateries. We are a block off of the square, so we have to carry something different in our gift selections that make people want to venture just a few steps further.
Is there an underlying theme you try to convey through the products you sell?
When we purchase gifts for our store, we always check to make sure that other stores within our county are not carrying the same lines. We promote ourselves as selling exclusive and unique gift items for everyone. Presenting the back story of a product helps our customers to see a connection, or the value in a piece (i.e. Sharon Nowlan). We also try to buy USA Made and Fair-Trade items whenever possible; products that are up-cycled/re-purposed, and products that support and give-back to non-for-profit organizations.
How do you find out about new trends and products, and do you ever take big risks on new products?
We really try to listen to our customers, especially if they didn’t find what they were looking for. If we see a trending theme for what we didn’t have, we will check to see what types of items we can bring in that would still fit with our aesthetic and be a good value for our customers. We never buy anything without seeing it first. Quality and price are big for us, so we need to make sure the products are a good fit. We rarely take a big risk, but if we do, it means that Wendy and I both agree that it is a good fit for our store and customers.
How do you get ready for a new year in retail? Do you research products and attend gift shows?
Being a small shop, we attend one gift show a year, but really spend quality time at the show doing our homework and searching for the right products. If we have seen articles about trends, or advertising from new or current vendors, we spend time checking out those items in-person.
What’s the key to getting the most out of gift shows?
Most often we split our time between our core vendors like DEMDACO, and also the Temporaries (vendors that don’t have full-time showrooms). The vendors in the Temporaries section speak to us for truly unique, one-of-a-kind products, and we rely on our core vendors to have products with great value, and broader appeal. We spend several days scouting through everything, and then decide what we want to bring into the shop and when. We are also fitting everything into our yearly budget, so we discuss everything at length. We spend the last couple of days going back and purchasing the items we have decided upon.
Do you ever host events as a way to increase foot traffic?
We participate in several yearly events that our town and Chamber of Commerce sponsor that drives in foot traffic. Some of the events offer the shoppers gifts for visiting certain local establishments. This is a great way to increase foot-traffic in our shop. We also have a birthday program that was recently started that shows great potential for continued business throughout the year — come into the shop the week of your birthday for a free birthday bouquet. In addition to the bouquet, they receive a gift certificate good towards an in-store purchase within the next month. Keep driving your customers to the next big holiday, event, etc. We are also investigating having some trunk shows with some of our vendors to have a larger selection of gifts on hand for a special promotion, weekend, etc.
What’s the best part of owning a gift shop?
The best part of owning a floral and gift shop is that we are able to interact and assist our community on a daily basis. From the birth of a new baby to honoring a loved one after they have passed, and all of the milestones and occasions in-between, our community comes to us for the perfect floral design or gift item. We are proud and privileged to do what we do.
What’s the key to running a successful retail business?
The key to running a successful retail business for us is a great partnership. Wendy and I keep each other in check, and are always looking to each other for feedback, collaborating on strategies, evaluating our business practices, and more. Having a solid relationship with our vendors gives us the resources, tools, and support that we need to be the best that we can be. We could not be as successful as we are without each other, or our team of caring employees, who are as passionate about our company as we are.
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