At 40 Years, Kiko's Business Still Blooming

Kiko and Herb Zimmerman are not only perfect complements to each other in their long marriage, but also business complements in running their Kiko’s Flowers and Gifts at 127 N. Northwest Highway, in uptown Park Ridge, for 40 years.

Kiko Zimmerman was trained in the art of ikebana,  the art of flower-arranging, starting at age 6 in her native Japan. Herb Zimmerman wanted to be a farmer growing up – with its attendant business acumen -- in downstate Pontiac. They’ve combined  those skills, done some cross-over teaching to the other spouse and brought their two sons into the oldest, continuously-run family business in Park Ridge.

The Zimmermans met in flower design school  after Herb moved to Chicago in 1967. The married soon after.

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But the name of the businesses, which opened on Sept. 23, 1972 at 131 S. Northwest Hwy.? That had to be distinctive.

“I was against it, but everyone else said that’s a catchy, good name,” Kiko said.

It’s a family name on the business, and family is the dominant theme of how the Zimmermans got into the flower and gift business rather than, say, a hardware store.

“We wanted to have a business where we could have our family together, work and be a part of the community,” Herb said. “A flower business catches all phases of a family’s life – marriage, births, deaths, anniversaries,  birthdays. It’s involved in people’s lives.”

The concept of family is so important to the four Zimmermans that Kiko’s is closed on Sundays and is only open until 5:30 p.m. weekdays and 4 p.m. Saturdays.  They have resisted the retail trend that picked up steam after they opened to go seven days and every night of the week.

“We go to church on Sundays,” said Herb. “We need a day.” They’re certainly not a big-box outlet, but larger at 2,450 square feet compared to the 780 square feet in the original location two blocks south.

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Another common theme has been present in the original and enlarged storefronts.

“We worked hard to keep the store attractive, and raised the kids there,” Kiko said. “It (the original store) was a very small space, but we managed.”

Kiko’s carried gifts from the start, but expanded their lines in the present location.

Kiko employs her flower-arranging skills to establish the look and layout of the store. Herb buys and processes flowers and plants, and takes care of accounting and bill-paying.  

Older son Mark Zimmerman manages the computer operations and web site. Younger son Andy Zimmerman runs the design department.

The biggest challenge over the decades, said Kiko, is handling holiday business. They don’t employ large numbers of workers beyond the family itself. 

“We love to take care of our customers,” she said. “Sometimes family is put aside because business has to be finished every day. For me, as a wife and mother, that was the hardest. It’s still the hardest because we really don’t have a private life.”

That personalized service sets Kiko’s apart from the big boxes, who have gone heavily into the garden and flower business.

“Somebody walks in and says it’s my anniversary for my wife,” said Herb, who queries the customer about flower and color preferences. “We put together a special bouquet. It’s not a pre-packaged thing. It’s an individual presentation. People like the personal touch.”

Flowers seem eternal, but Herb knows another axiom of his business.

“The only thing about the flower business that is constant is it’s changing,” he said. “When we started there were maybe 15-18 basic varieties you could get in different colors. Now there’s  hundreds.  It’s a world market.”

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