i opened asrai garden in 1999 at the age of 23. i absolutely loved flowers, beautiful smelly
products and home design..... i had no idea how much work went into owning a perishable
business, or what it meant to be responsible for part of a bride's wedding day. i had even
less an idea how absolutely in love i would fall with my store, my customers and the people
whose lives i would get to be part of because of what i was doing. i feel so lucky every day to be
one of the few i know to have found what i really love, what is my passion. i get holiday
cards, notes, family photos and visits from people whose weddings we did years ago
or families that moved out of the neighborhood long ago.... yet another reason i know that
i am exactly where i belong, doing exactly what i should be doing.

i grew up in chicago and have spent much of my life in and around wicker park. my parents
met working in this neighborhood in 1969. my mom continued to work in this neighborhood
until she retired in 1999. my mother and grandma millie would prove to be the inspiration
behind my love of flowers. my mom and i built and cared for beautiful gardens around the home
i grew up in and she continues to support and inspire me daily, she even makes some of the
amazing hand stitched products i sell in the shop. my dad, who is recently retired, now lives
in the mountains of northern idaho. he volunteered to run the e commerce portion of the website
(coming fall 2009) so, check back to order all of our products via the web - prettied up, packed and
shipped by dear ol dad. until then, call us at the shop for product orders or local flower
deliveries and may i encourage you to stop by and visit the shop... it's lovely.