Flower Bar in Peru has a new owner

Nikki Tonioni has always enjoyed plants, flowers and home décor.

When both of her parents died within 15 months of each other, Tonioni used her interest as an outlet.

“The way it started was as a therapeutic coping skill when my parents died,” Tonioni said. “That’s how I started making wreaths and home décor. Eventually, it led to plants and flowers. ... I found it very therapeutic, and it continued as a way to keep my mind occupied and deal with stress.”

Tonioni began selling wreaths and other décor, but now she’s taken her business to another level.

She recently purchased The Flower Bar at 906 Shooting Park Road in Peru and held a reopening in late July.

“I’ve been doing plants, flowers and home décor for years now, so when the opportunity came up, I thought it was a good one to take advantage of,” Tonioni said.

The store offers a wide variety of plants and flowers, home décor including wreaths and signs, and gifts such as candles, bracelets and dog bandanas, among other items.

“We have one-of-a-kind gifts,” Tonioni said. “We’re not just a plant and flower store. You can come in here and get unique gifts for people.

"We don’t have repeat items. We do custom exotic plants, exotic and modern floral arrangements. We don’t have your typical flowers. We do have on request your typical roses and other flowers, but we put a little spin on arrangements. We add a twist to everything – things you wouldn’t think would look good but come together really awesome and different.”

Tonioni said so far business has been strong.

“It’s been great,” Tonioni said. “We’ve been super busy. Everybody has been very receptive to us. We’ve been very open to our customers, listening to what they want. Deliveries have been going well.”

The Flower Bar is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

The store's website is flower-bar-peru.myshopify.com, and The Flower Bar also can be found on Facebook.

If you go:

Where: 906 Shooting Park Road, Peru

Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday

Phone: 815-410-5052

Online: flower-bar-peru.myshopify.com.