“Fun With Flowers”

September 13, 2016

I really love the work of Florist Sarah Wright. Or should I say Botanist, Agriculturalist, Expert of Everything that Grows Sarah Wright!

Thanks to my north shore friends, I discovered Sarah and her Evanston shop, Four Finches, before my daughter was married last year. We had gorgeous floral arrangements at every event throughout the year, and a great working relationship with Sarah that made our floral orders quite effortless.

Four Finches is in a quirky area of Evanston at 1320 Sherman Ave., Studio 105. There is a large sidewalk sign on Sherman, and a long breezeway to the door that leads you to the shop. But the easier and more interesting way to get to four finches is to search for the alley sign around the corner on Dempster. Then follow the alley to some cute window boxes and larger double doors that announce you’ve arrived.

Passersby might miss it, but everyone in the know knows that Sarah will have the perfect gift for a new mother, a birthday surprise or any other occasion that requires a special touch. And don’t forget the flowers! Social media, word of mouth, community activities and ooohs and ahhhs at weddings have made Four Finches a much sought-after destination throughout the Chicagoland area.

What amazing eye candy awaits you when you open those French doors!

A European touch is so evident in every nook of the shop. Sarah’s goal, with the inventory and artistry exuding from every display, is to appeal to the shopper who is a traveler, who wants the unique items not found in every gift store, who wants to linger and discover the unexpected and do a little impulse shopping to keep a home fresh and a party table charming.

And Sarah will hand-tie a bouquet for you in two minutes. Her motto is “air enough for a butterfly to fly through.”

As she explains it, floral shops have undergone a huge transformation since she opened her first shop in Cedar Rapids, IA in 1987. With an Associate of Sciences and a Floriculture degree from Kirkwood College, she refused to be bound by the dictates of the wire services, still making triangular, one-sided arrangements that were stiff and lifeless. She chose to offer her customers the look of fresh-cut and hand-tied bouquets more reminiscent of European flower markets.

Her new shop in Boulder, CO (1998) catered to a strictly commercial market – corporations, hotels, and restaurants. The vibe for retail was much more casual and often handled by floral displays at supermarkets. Retail shoppers today have come to love the natural, textured, full-view arrangements influenced by European trends. More of us are entertaining, and want to rely on professionals like Sarah, who calls herself an adviser, a technician, and a visualizer to help us with our homes and tablescapes.

With her able assistant, Andrea Knohl, and 11 essential staffers, Sarah reaches out to the community in so many directions. They have held special presentations and master classes for the Garden Club of Evanston, other north shore garden clubs, professional women’s groups, and church groups. Last year, Sarah and Andrea hosted several musical ensembles that played for charitable causes. (The finches who gave the shop its name had to be moved because they were singing too loudly during the concerts!)

Providing flowers and greenery for every demand is not an easy business. I witnessed that during my daughter’s wedding meetings. Sarah still drives her own trucks, and does her own onsite inspections so she gets every detail right.

She often works until 2 or 3 AM, picking up containers and boxing arrangements so they can be taken home by lucky guests.

I was also impressed that Sarah holds what she calls “Fun with Flowers Day” for every bride and party giver. That is the day you see your order actually arranged in the container you’ve handpicked. She welcomes outside eyes to take a critical look and make any changes or additions. At that point, she says, she is not there as the creator, but as the technician — whatever it takes to be totally thrilled with your beautiful flowers.

Once I saw what Sarah does with real flowers, I asked her to apply her talents to two dried arrangements I needed: one for the cabin, one for my antique pedestal. They couldn’t be more perfect!