New business: North Shore Events + Blooms

“It’s a relatively new business, which is very new and evolving,” is how Kelly Hanson described her business, North Shore Events + Blooms.

Hanson told WTIP she started offering items to rent for events about a year ago, offering event furniture, like tables and chairs, and decor options. She has a background as an event florist and has dreams of owning an event space. She said that when she and her husband were married on the North Shore, she saw how difficult it was for people holding events in the area to either find venues that had everything they needed, or to rent equipment.

That was the impetus for establishing North Shore Event Rentals last year. More recently, Hanson has sought to expand what she offers. She said the decision to add to floral services to the business was spurred by a few factors.

First, longtime flower-shop Terra Bella announced that they would be closing at the end of last year, leaving the area without a year-round flower supplier for custom orders. While flowers are available at local grocery stores, local flower producers have typically only offered custom services during the Cook County growing season.

Hanson said that she also had a realization while organizing an event with the Chamber of Commerce, that she was already offering some floral services for specific events. The final element that contributed to her moving ahead with expanding the floral part of her business was the decision to invest in a storefront.

She and her husband will be operating both of their family ventures, North Shore Events + Blooms and Hanson Holistics, his massage business, out of the building on Highway 61 that used to house Songbird Realty.

Hanson said she hopes to both establish a showroom in the space for customers to see their options for event rentals, but to also build out the space to one day provide flowers for everyday customers, not exclusively for events. Until then, she said that she will offer occasional floral sales as she works to assess how best to grow the business. “I’m trying to be smart with it and take my time, because it’s going to be very intentional,” Handon said. “I really hope that it’s there for a long time, just like the last floral shop.”

Kirsten Wisniewski May 7, 2026