The Green Branch of Glen Ellyn celebrates 4 decades in business

GLEN ELLYN – For mother-daughter duo Lona Prexler and Noel Luchinski, who own and operate The Green Branch in downtown Glen Ellyn, florals run in the family.

“That’s all I ever wanted to do,” said Luchinski, who is a fourth-generation florist.

The shop, at 485 N. Main St., celebrated its 40th anniversary Friday and Saturday.

“It’s just a lovely store,” said Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce co-executive director Georgia Koch.

Prexler opened up shop Feb. 24, 1974, at her original location off Roosevelt Road in Wheaton. Even then, she was no newbie. Her father was a florist and she worked with him as a teenager at the family store in Berwyn.

Three years after establishing The Green Branch, Prexler moved the shop to Park Boulevard and Butterfield Road, and five years ago, she and Luchinski, who joined the business in 1988, relocated downtown to a larger space.

As the decades have passed, the shop has remained a family endeavor, with both Prexler and Luchinski’s husbands pitching in.

Prexler said the Glen Ellyn community has responded positively to the store.

“They’re very supportive of small business,” she said. “Not all towns are like that.”

As a full-service florist, The Green Branch offers arrangements for weddings, parties and single orders. Prexler and Luchinski have even provided flowers for multiple generations of weddings for some local families.

“It’s so important that we have a thriving florist inside the downtown,” said Alliance of Downtown Glen Ellyn Executive Director Carol White, who added that the store’s gift items distinguish it from competitors.

Prexler and Luchinski marked the anniversary with a ribbon cutting Friday and sales, raffles and giveaways throughout the two-day celebration.

They said turnout for the festivities included long-time customers, as well as the first person to patronize their downtown location five years ago.

In the future, The Green Branch plans to continue its class offerings, a component added with the opening of the downtown shop. The floral design courses are available on a monthly basis, as well as for scout and church groups, garden clubs and other organizations.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Prexler said. “I never thought 40 years would go that fast.”

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If you go

What: The Green Branch
Where: 485 N. Main St.
When: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday
Know more: Call 630-858-7440 or visit www.greenbranchflorist.com