EVANSTON, Ill. — If the four walls at Saville Flowers in downtown Evanston could talk, they’d have many tales because the little flower shop has stood the test of time.
In the midst of World War 2, with Bing Crosby topping the charts, Don Saville opened the doors of the longtime family business in 1942.
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Saville ran the business until the 1970s before passing it along to his daughter and her husband before two of their kids took over in the 1980s.
“My mom and her sister grew up in the store and have always been part of the business. It’s a family affair. They took it over in 1987,” said Mark Jones, the fourth-generation family member to take the helm.
“Here we are in 2022. I took it over myself in 2016. We celebrated six years of ownership for me on the Fourth of July this year.”
The store was always part of Jones’ life, from when he was a toddler to college summers spent placing stems side by side and weaving them into beautiful bouquets.
“We try to have people walk out with something that feels very special,” Jones said.
The business has blossomed through ups and downs and the good and bad life often brings.
“All of those big celebrations, your life cycle is marked through flowers,” Jones said.
The owner says the business is kept alive by multi-generational decade-long customers who return to a place that feels like family.
“I think that’s what makes it special,” Jones said. “Someone comes in and is like, my plant is doing great. We’re like, ‘Sweet, let’s see a picture.’ You know, it’s fun.”
While Mark Jones doesn’t have any kids – he said he envisions a long horizon of succession, adding that he thinks his great-grandfather would be proud of how things turned out. The eight-decade-old legacy continues to flourish.
To celebrate the milestone, a party will be held Saturday, Oct. 22, from 4-7 p.m. Anyone interested in attending can RSVP by clicking here.
“The family dynamic is really great with my mom owning it for 39 years,” Jones said. “We have so many people coming this weekend, excited to see her seeing an old friend again.”
