Business Spotlight: Alfa Flower shop weathered some tough years, and has flourished in the economic

Alfa Flower & Wedding Shop survived the Great Recession, but the family-owned shop has only recently recovered from the economic crisis.

"Remember 2008?" Katie Grogan asked, exasperation rising in her voice.

"We're back to normal with our employees and what we were able to give to them, and we're very fortunate," added Grogan, who owns Alfa with her father, Daniel Grogan, who retired last month.

But, even with 70 years of ups and downs, Katie Grogan said the last six were among the toughest, especially because they came after some of the very best in the shop's history.

In fact, for more than a decade, Alfa was doing so well that the Grogans had an online shop and two stores — one for flowers at 70th Street and North Avenue, and a second at 92nd and Oklahoma.

"That was our wedding shop," Grogan said. "And it boomed. For many, many years, we were doing more than 300 weddings a year."

By the time the Grogans decided to consolidate shops in 2008, it was a matter of convenience, not any downturn in business.

"I couldn't be in two places at once, and I had a very young family," explained Grogan, who lives in Lisbon with her daughters, now 8 and 10. "We thought the best thing to do was just merge, so we decided to do the addition here and put the other building up for sale."

That was in August 2008. The building finally sold in November 2014.

"Six years!" Grogan said. "Six years of plowing the snow and cutting the grass and keeping the heat on. Not only were we stuck with the building, but we had to pay off the addition. We thought the sale of the building would have paid for that. And, then, we're in a crash. At least we didn't have to lay anybody off."

Alfa's nearly two dozen employees were asked to take unpaid time off. And the Grogans temporarily rescinded some benefits.

"We were very close to going down to four-day weeks, which we didn't have to do. But the cuts we made just got us through. We were check to check. That was a learning experience."

Grogan paused. "We're doing fabulous right now!"

In the coming year, Alfa will host two wedding shows. And Grogan plans to open the shop for children's parties.

"I've had birthday parties here for both of my daughters, and it gave me the idea. We've even thought of doing it for adults. Maybe flower design and wine?"

It's all part of Grogan's plan to build on the business her father nurtured for nearly 40 years — a business he bought in the 1970s, after taking on odd jobs and delivering newspapers to the shop's original location, built on a sliver of land near Lisbon Avenue, between 53rd and 54th streets.

"That's where we got the palm tree logo. The building was literally on its own little island," Grogan said.

JUST THE FACTS

BUSINESS: Alfa Flower & Wedding Shop, 7001 W. North Ave.

WEB:www.alfaflowershop.com

PHONE: (414) 475-7080

OWNER: Katie Grogan and Daniel Grogan

INCORPORATED: 1944

TYPE OF BUSINESS: flower and bridal shop