Steve’s Flower Market

The word “market” here describes a way of buying, not a wholesale hall full of separate sellers: this is one family’s flower shop with its own designers and its own delivery vans. What it borrows from the market tradition is the buckets of loose stems standing in the open, so you build a bouquet from what you can see and smell rather than from a photograph.

What to come here for

Two different customers keep the place busy. The first walks in for the ordinary occasions — a birthday, an anniversary, a thank-you, flowers for the table on a Friday — and leaves with something assembled from stems they picked themselves or handed to a designer with a free hand.

The second books ahead. Weddings run in two tracks — full-service work with a dedicated designer, ceremony and reception florals, rental props and setup on the day, or a lighter package of bouquets, corsages and centerpieces for a small wedding — and Mary Ziemba leads the bridal side. Alongside sit corporate and event work, from centerpieces to stage decor and flower walls, plus standing weekly deliveries for offices and homes.

Delivery and same-day orders

Across most of the service area an order placed by about 1 p.m. still goes out the same day; for weekend delivery, where it is offered, the cutoff is 11 a.m. Chicago runs go out daily on the shop’s own drivers rather than through a courier app.

A precise time of day is not promised, especially in holiday weeks, though you can request one in the delivery instructions. The local rule applies: the earlier the order lands, the more a time request is worth, because February traffic and lake wind shape the route as much as the map does.

What stands out

• A shop you can browse. Loose stems by the bucket, chosen by hand — uncommon in a city where most florists sell finished arrangements only.
• One family, decades deep. Steve Ziemba opened his own flower market at twenty-two; the business counts its history in half-centuries.
• Weddings in two tiers. Full production with props and on-site setup, or a compact package for a small ceremony.
• Its own delivery team. City runs are handled in-house.
• Standing orders. Weekly flowers for offices, lobbies and homes are a normal service, not a favor.

Where the flowers come from

The shop states that it buys directly from its growers, at home and abroad, and that the range is deliberately wider than the standard rose-and-lily set — a market format only works if there is something unusual in the buckets. Individual farms and auctions are not published, so direct buying remains the shop’s own claim, and the evidence available to you is what is standing in the room the day you walk in.

The space, the service, and what else they sell

The room works the way the name promises: flowers in the open, in water, laid out so you can see what is in season instead of scrolling it, with staff assembling to order while you wait. Anything larger starts as a phone conversation and moves to an in-person design session, and beyond cut flowers there are orchids and other potted plants for a housewarming or an office gift.

When to come and how to get there

The shop sits in West Town, just west of downtown and a few minutes from the Blue Line — near enough for a Loop office to send someone at lunch, far enough out that parking is not the ordeal it is in the center. Late spring brings the wedding and graduation crunch, February and early May are the heaviest stretches of the year, and deep winter is when the market format earns its keep: as the imported selection narrows, seeing the buckets beats guessing from a screen.

Questions and answers

Is this a wholesale market with lots of different sellers?

No — a single family-run flower shop with its own designers; “market” describes how you buy, from open buckets, not a trading hall.

Can I choose the stems myself?

Yes: hand-pick what goes into the bouquet, or hand the job to a designer.

What is the deadline for delivery today?

In most of the area about 1 p.m.; for weekend delivery, where offered, 11 a.m.

Do they do weddings, and how far ahead should I book?

Yes, in two formats; consultations start by phone, and May through October dates should be booked early.

Can they deliver flowers to an office every week?

Yes — weekly deliveries for corporate spaces and homes are a standing service.

Can I pick up an order instead of having it delivered?

Yes, and collecting in person also lets you see the arrangement before it travels.

Opening hours