How Phillip's Flowers bloomed over its 100 years of business in the suburbs

The floral business has changed a lot since James A. Phillip opened the first Phillip's Flowers in Cicero 100 years ago.

Back then, the patriarch of what is one of Chicagoland's premiere family-run florists picked blossoms from the roadside and delivered them to clients via streetcar.

Today, the family owns and operates stores in Elmhurst, Hinsdale, LaGrange, Naperville, Oak Brook, Westmont and Wheaton. Grandsons Don Phillip and Baxter W. Phillip say advancements in horticulture, technology and transportation mean they can import flowers from South America, the Pacific Rim, the Philippines and the Netherlands within 24 hours and keep them fresh for longer periods.

And instead of public transportation, employees use Phillip's Flowers trucks to crisscross Chicago and most suburbs, making deliveries to homes and businesses.

But the Phillip family remains in the floral biz for the same reason James A. Phillip embraced it initially.

“It was not as bad as some and better than most,” said Don Phillip, quoting his grandfather James, who inherited his knack for floral design from his father, a gardener from Austria.

Seven family members spanning three generations work for the company. They describe their more than 150 employees as “floral professionals who are wonderful designers and make us look good every day,” said Baxter Phillip, executive vice-president.

Both men attribute the company's longevity and success to their employees and their father J.R., whose vision was to have a Phillip's flower shop in every town.

“He realized if we wanted to service a big city like Chicago we needed good sourcing on product,” which meant purchasing flowers directly from farms, said Don Phillip, a 40-year veteran of the company.

At one time, “virtually all fresh-cut flowers were grown regionally,” explained Baxter Phillip, who's worked with his family for about 33 years. “Later, California became a huge producer of fresh-cut flowers. Today, in the western hemisphere, about 80% of flowers are grown in Columbia and Ecuador” at high altitudes where temperatures are consistent and sunshine is plentiful.

The brothers say being florists is part of their DNA. Don attributes the company's success to family members having distinctive, slightly different skill sets.

“Designers, administrators, engineers, we all have our own niche and have the freedom to function within that niche whether it's corporate, operations, or the creative side of the business,” he said.

“Fortunately, we all get along very well,” adds Baxter.

The siblings are proud of more than the business. They speak affectionately of their aunt, television personality and talk show host Lee Phillip Bell, who like her brothers worked at the flower show. She accompanied older brother J.R. to a local TV show where they demonstrated flowering arranging. The segment went well and they were invited back. J.R. declined but Lee accepted and embarked upon a long career in television that included creating - with her husband - the soap operas “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful.”

The philosophy that animates Phillip's Flowers is the same today as it was when James A. Phillip opened his first shop.

“Our grandfather used to say being good to your customers comes first,” said Baxter.

In the 1950s and 1960s, they thought they were in the flower business, he said. In the 1970s and 1980s, “we thought we were in the computer business because you can't do anything without good computers,” he joked.

“Now,” he said, referring to loyal employees and longtime clients, “we realize we're in the people business.”