WELKE’S MILWAUKEE FLORIST SENDS CHEER ALL YEAR
In the early 1900s, Milwaukee’s City Hall was the tallest building in America, the Milwaukee River was a shipping channel, the lakefront was lined with railroad tracks, and Emil Welke was making Welke’s House of Roses deliveries by horse and wagon.
“One of my favorite parts of the job is to help people.”
Nikki Lemler, Vice President
Welke started his business at 11th Street and Capitol Drive in 1901, after bringing cyclamen seeds from Germany to grow his first commercial plants. Since the ‘50s, Welke’s Milwaukee Florist has been based at 5528 W. North Ave. in Uptown Crossing. Today, it’s led by Emil’s great grandson, Dave Lang, president, and great-great granddaughter Nikki Lemler, vice president.
Like other family members, Lemler started helping out at Welke’s in her youth. She has memories of filling buckets with water and cleaning floors on Saturdays. When it came time for Lemler to choose a career, she chose the travel industry because she knew how demanding the retail florist business can be.
Changes in the travel industry following 9/11 led Lemler back to the family business, where she focuses on office and internet operations, sales and corporate relationships.
“It’s really fun,” Lemler said. “One of my favorite parts of the job is to help people, especially in times of need, and I love to get updates from our customers. One of my customers orders an arrangement for his anniversary every year — years after we did the flowers for his wedding. And a local business customer sends flowers to more than a dozen people every month.”
Welke’s is known for quality, variety, customer service and longevity. It uses high-quality Milwaukee-based flower wholesalers and hand-picked suppliers from all over the world to stock a wide range of products. Besides floral arrangements and plants, Welke’s also offers silk flower arrangements, fruit baskets, gift baskets, dish gardens, balloons, stuffed animals and other items.
Lemler said the business helps bring people joy and comfort for all kinds of occasions — holidays, events, celebrations, weddings, funerals, births, birthdays and more. It makes deliveries to homes, businesses, hospitals, funeral homes and event spaces.
In the same way Welke’s has been owned and managed by one family for generations, the business has been patronized by some Milwaukee area families for generations. Lemler credits the customer loyalty primarily to quality products delivered as ordered and on time, and two-way customer communication.
“We make sure our customers are informed every step of the way,” she said. “We listen to them, we make sure that what they order is what they get. We have their back.”
Lemler is well aware that customers shop around before they buy.
“People want transparency and clarity,” she said. “They do their homework first and they want to know exactly what they are getting.”
While customers can choose from certain floral styles Welke’s offers, the florist is also known for custom-designed arrangements.
“Our designers love it when people leave creativity to the design team — it makes it more fun for the designers and exciting for the customers,” she said.
The designers have knowledge that extends beyond how well each flower’s colors, shapes and fragrances work together. They know flowers and colors have subliminal benefits too.
“The color yellow is a powerful healing color, so if you want someone to feel better, send them yellow flowers,” Lemler explained. “Flowers are so beneficial to people’s spirits; it’s proven that they help people heal faster.”
Other essential workers among the business’s 28 employees include delivery drivers and flower processors who take care of the flowers when they arrive from wholesalers.
“Delivery drivers are underrated, they are out on the roads all day long,” Lemler said. “But they do get to see people’s happy faces when they get flowers.”
Some flowers are shipped to Welke’s directly from growers in the U.S. and overseas. Lang has procurement down to a science, buying from growers in places including California, Columbia, Holland and South America. Everything from severe weather to a workers strike can affect supplies and require workarounds.
Welke’s North Avenue shop serves as the florist’s headquarters and design center. The Uptown Crossing location in the center of metro Milwaukee helps Welke’s get products in and out efficiently as well as generate business.
“As the area keeps improving, more people are out on the street and see the shop,” Lemler said. “It’s really beneficial.”
The company also has a retail location, call center and greenhouse in Elm Grove.
Welke’s Milwaukee Florist welcomes customers who walk in to shop, order online or by phone. It can be reached at Welkes.com or by calling 414-432-6540.