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Business & Tech

Vacha's Forest Flowers: Family Florist Since 1887

The people at Vacha Forest Flowers put the personal touch on your trip to the florist.

A few weeks ago this author discovered the personal touch of the folks at Vacha's Forest Flowers.  I was on my way to the store to meet the owner and set up an interview for this article.

As I was nearing the store a call came from the better half that I should stop somewhere and pick up some flowers for one of our granddaughters.  She was graduating from pre-school that evening, and she was looking forward to some purple flowers.

So I figured I would kill two birds with one stone. As it turned out, the owner, Don Vacha, was not in, but a very pleasant lady named Beth Faustin was there to help me with my purple flower quest. 

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In fact, she created a little bouquet of purple flowers, most of which I had never heard of.  To top it off, it was a great deal.  Sometimes we forget what it's like to get personal service.

The Vacha family and their associates have been providing this personal touch since 1887.  Let me write that again, since 1887.

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Don Vacha, the owner of Vacha's Forest Flowers, is a fifth generation florist. His great-great-grandfather and his great-grandfather started in the greenhouse business.  

Some time early in the 1900's they opened a flower shop in the Back of the Yards Neighborhood in Chicago.  It eventually moved to 4710 S. Western Avenue, where it remained until 2000.

The business incorporated as Joseph Vacha and Sons.  Joseph was his great-grandfather, and the sons were Don's grandfather Louis and his two brothers, Joseph, Jr. and Ben.  The business passed to Don's father, Frank, and eventually to Don.

"It's been a long history," said Don.  "We've all learned from the previous generation.  I grew up around the flower shop on Western, learning to trim flowers from my uncle, going on deliveries as a kid."

The move to the suburbs followed the normal migration of most city dwellers.  "We knew we eventually wanted to come out to the suburbs, and we came to Oak Forest in 1993 when we purchased Forest Flowers."

Don and his business are now part of the fabric of Oak Forest.  He's been a board member on the Chamber of Commerce for several years, even serving as president.

"We shop here and bank here," he said.  "We think it's important to stay local.  Most people don't realize how important that is.  When you shop locally, you're generating money for your town."

Vacha's is a full-service florist, which means no job is too big or too small.  They provide flowers for funerals, weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries, but they still appreciate someone who comes in to buy a rose.

"We work real hard to treat every customer the same," Don said.  "You can't find better service anywhere.  You might be able to find a little better deal on the Internet, but we think buying flowers is a personal business.  That is one of the things you get when you walk into a florist." 

Vacha's is also part of a Chicagoland co-op of florists.  If you want to send flowers to someone on the north side, Vacha's designers will prepare it, wrap it, and deliver it the the co-op warehouse at North Avenue and Milwaukee.  From there a florist from the north side will pick it up and deliver it.

They do the same for deliveries coming down south. 

"It works very well for us," said Don. 

There used to be 60 shops in the co-op.  That number has dwindled down to about 40. 

"The Internet companies have hurt us a little," he said, "but we can still give that personal touch to everyone in Chicago."

(By the way, the granddaughter loved her flowers.)

Vacha's Forest Flowers is located at 6260 W 159th St in Oak Forest.  They can be reached by phone at 708-687-6668.  Their website is www.vachasforestflowers.com.

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