Bella Fiori a Staple in the Community After 10 Years

When Delynn Zambon moved to New Lenox, she drove down Laraway Road and was struck by how empty the area was.

She was coming here to open her own flower shop, , and 10 years later it's a successful local business and was named the 2011 Business of the Year by the .

"We opened when New Lenox was really growing, and we've grown with the community," Zambon said. "With the support of our community we're kind of a staple here now."

The shop has definitely grown, and so has its clientele.

"We sold flowers to girls for school dances, and now they're coming back for their weddings," Zambon said. "It's neat. Then we'll have baby flowers."

The high schools provide consistent customers, because of dances, and Zambon has fun contests for the students. For prom, they asked students to post a photo on Bella Fiori's Facebook page, and a winner would get tickets to Great America. The store also sells fresh flowers at Silver Cross Hospital, and will have a larger selection available when the hospital opens in New Lenox in February.

That presence in the community, as well as other work it does by donating gifts or time to events, is part of the reason Bella Fiori was named the Business of the Year.

"She's very much a giver back to the community," chamber CEO Deb Hypke said of Zambon.

In addition to that, celebrating 10 years of success in New Lenox played a role, and so did Zambon's constant support of the chamber and its events. That stems from a life in the flower business.

"I've pretty much grown up in a flower shop," Zambon said.

She went to and worked in a flower shop, keeping the job while attending St. Xavier. After college, she kept working for the same woman and stayed there for another 10 years. Finally, she decided to open her own shop.

"As I grew to know the business more, I really liked the creative aspect of it," she said. Zambon liked art and music in high school, playing clarinet for the band. She also entered arrangements into several floral design competitions, winning first place at the 1999 Chicago Flower & Garden Show.

There are other flower shops in New Lenox, but Zambon believes Bella Fiori is unique because of what she calls a "European flare to the design." She was inspired by a trip to Italy (Bella Fiori is actually Italian for "beautiful flower") and liked the natural, earthy and free style of arranging.

"We look at each arrangement as a piece of art," she said.