Downtown Champaign florist closes
CHAMPAIGN — A downtown Champaign floral shop has closed after 26 years in business.
Rick Orr Florist shuttered its shop at 122 N. Walnut St. last week, with co-owner Rick Orr saying he's "semi-retiring."
Orr said he still plans to do holiday, party and wedding arrangements by appointment and continue his involvement with the Station Theatre in Urbana.
"It's been a great run of 26 years. It's something to celebrate," Orr said, adding he's grateful for loyal customers who stuck with him from his early days working at Art Floral.
Orr said that when he opened his shop in 1985, it was one of the "first small retail businesses to grace the (modern-day) expansion of downtown Champaign."
The shop was located on the first floor of a two-story brick building at Walnut and Taylor streets believed to date from 1888.
Orr, who co-owned the shop with Geraldine Tierney, said the floral business typically employed a full-time driver and three to four part-time arrangers. The arrangers were often horticulture students at the University of Illinois.
Like other floral shops that make deliveries, Rick Orr Florist felt the effects of gasoline-price increases. Plus, Orr said, it's not easy to sell a luxury product, like floral bouquets, in a down economy.
But Orr said he felt fortunate to have customers "able to express their emotions through floral design."
See more in Friday's News-Gazette.
Indeed, a big loss to the community. Rick Orr Florist was a pioneer - Geraldine & Rick did great work and were mentors to me, having worked there during high school & college.
If there are any premium brands in Champaign-Urbana, Rick Orr Florist was it. I would argue that gas prices weren't so much a factor; rather, folks often go to the supermarket or big box stores, stranding boutique shops. There was no better product than what you'd find there.
Sorry to hear the florist has closed. I worked there for 8 years beginning as a high school student, and their spectacular flowers flown in from Thailand, the Netherlands, South Africa, and points in between sparked my education and career in floriculture crop production. The florist was unique in downstate Illinois, offering the community the rich diversity and beauty of cut flowers and potted plants. No carnations. No baby's breath. Instead, sugarbush protea, oriental lilies, oncidium orchids, French tulips, and hanging heliconia. I have many fond memories of the florist and its employees, and wish Rick and Geraldine only the best.
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