Millefiori: A Thousand Splendid Blooms for Valentine's Day

By Victoria Scott

Veteran sweethearts Charlie and Tracy Mullenix say red roses are less popular these days, and they never pair them with baby's breath.

Whether his love is like a red, red rose - or like the bi-color "Big Fun" - the present- day Romeo can express it with flowers from Millefiori, 1943 Central St., this Valentine's Day.

Millefiori owners Tracy and Charlie Mullenix, high school sweethearts who became business and then marriage partners, are gearing up for the flower shop's second-biggest holiday. (Mothers' Day is their biggest: "Everybody has a mother," they recite in unison.)

With an enthusiasm and good humor that seems to characterize their personal and professional lives together, they vow, "We're gonna be ready" for V-Day.

Flowers are on order. While they will carry traditional red roses by the dozens, Ms. Mullenix says, "The last couple years we've sold more other colors or mixed [colors]," a phenomenon her husband calls "an industry trend."

Ordinarily they pick the day's flowers at a Morton Grove wholesaler, but Valentine's Day requires ordering in advance.

"Valentine's Day is like shopping for Christmas," says Mr. Mullenix. "The good things go fast." They also cost more. The wholesale price of roses skyrockets even before Feb. 14 in anticipation of the demand, says Mr. Mullenix. They try not to burden their customers with gigantic mark-ups. "We keep it down as much as we can," he says.

The Mullenixes seek out distinctive roses - green varieties like "Green Tea" and "Limbo," apricots like "Geraldine" and deep yellows like "Forever Young." "Big Fun" is one of their favorites - a huge, full-blown rose they find "hard to describe," with color that changes from coral to apricot/pink and a habit of holding well while wide-open.

Their bouquets tend to pair roses with hypericum berries (for texture) or wax flowers - "never baby's breath," says Ms. Mullenix - or with tulips or orchids.

For the holiday they will also have blooming plants, from hydrangeas and azaleas to hyacinths and tulips, along with mini topiaries of fragrant lavender, rosemary, jasmine, ivy or angel vine and baskets of mixed plants.

They are strategizing an efficient shopping and checkout plan to accommodate the expected flood of last-minute shoppers. "We're trying to make it easy [for them]," says Ms. Mullenix. "They like to come in and go."

She will stock one section with readyto- go hand-tied bouquets and another with flower arrangements that can be accessorized with a hand-blown glass vase. Should the customer have forgotten, blank cards with vibrant flower illustrations by Evanstonian Ilana Denis are on the counter awaiting a heartfelt message.

Millefiori has a selection of gifts the owners discovered at the recent Atlanta gift show ("We go to find things we can't find elsewhere," say the Mullenixes), some grouped in a Valentine display. And among their personal care items, the popular Thyme line of soaps and lotions boasts a new fragrance - "Kimono Rose" Millefiori: A Thousand Splendid Blooms for Valentine's Day - for Valentine's Day.

Spring will be a shade greener at Millefiori this year, with new products such as biodegradable pottery joining standbys like their bright-colored, 98-percent-recycled floor mats. As usual, there will be eye-catching gifts for the garden, from lacy wire chandeliers and aged mosaic plant stands to an old Chinese basket.

Mr. Mullenix handles potted plants - and finances. Ms. Mullenix is an experienced floral designer, having worked with flowers since she was 15. She was employed at Millefiori when the previous owner decided to retire. Mr. Mullenix, though involved in a family business after college graduation, knew his future wife had always wanted to own a flower shop.

They were just 25 when they bought the store three years ago this March. And although they were aware of the hazards of working with a spouse, Ms. Mullenix says, "My parents were more worried than we were."

"It's been so good," they say. Business has increased each year. She and her assistant do more and more weddings and events, each of which they strive to make personal ("We touch every single thing," she says) and unique. "I have never done the same flowers for two weddings," she says.

One of the Mullenix's goals for 2008 is to add to a list of house accounts already comprising Nordstrom, Va Pensiero and St. Francis Hospital. They also plan to enhance their website with features such as a click-to-order button. And, with trepidation, they will be installing a point-of-sale system, replacing the cash register with a computer to capture information and generate a mailing list.

The Mullenixes say they are touched by the loyalty of their customers, many of whom they have come to know through repeat business. In addition, they love the spirit of their Central Street neighbors. "The stores support each other," they say. Among other things, they steer clear of carrying the same merchandise.

The business partnership does not seem to have taken a toll on the couple's marriage. In fact, they say they like talking about work even at home. Theirs is a sentiment fit for a Valentine: "There are times of stress, but we feel it together."