History of The Weed Ladies
Half a century has passed since a group of ladies got together to raise funds for the newly founded Naperville Heritage Society.
The like-minded group shared a passion for gardening and used weeds to form floral arrangements to sell. Thus, the Weed Ladies were born.
“The Weed Ladies used to have one sale a year at the Antique Fair,” said Lynn Rogalas, who’s been a Weed Lady for 20 years. “Now, we have three main sales a year; spring/summer, fall, and winter. And, we also sell at some of the events on the grounds like Christkindlmarket market and the Art Fair.
The Weed Ladies Over Time
Over the years they’ve taken on custom orders for events like bridal and baby showers, and their decorative designs have evolved too.
“Originally, everything was dried flowers. Now, as you can see, we have all [sorts of flowers]. We don’t like to say ‘artificial’ we like to say ‘everlasting’. The silk flowers that are so beautiful now,” said Alberta Kobilaka, a Weed lady since 2008.
Consumer demand for the weed ladies flower designs has increased over the years, making their flower arrangements a year-long operation.
“We used to take a long winter’s nap, but we don’t do that so much because we’re getting ready for each of the shows,” said Rogalas.
Weed Ladies’ Spring Sale
The Weed Ladies took advantage of their spring sale from April 4 through April 7 to showcase a new design.
“Since they are rather a trending thing right now, our newest items are our fairy gardens,” said Kobilaka. “So we have fairy gardens from the tiniest ones to very sizeable ones.”
Every flower arrangement comes with an attached name tag of the volunteer who created it. And each has their own unique style.
“That’s why we’re able to offer such a variety because all of the personalities of all of our individuals weed ladies come out in their design. And so everybody has their little niche,” said Kobilaka.
View the Weed Ladies Spring Schedule
Weed Ladies Remain a Family
But as much as the weed ladies have evolved over the years, one thing has remained the same.
“We spend a lot of time together so we are a close-knit family working together,” said Kobilaka. “We do consider ourselves as the Weed Ladies family.”
Naperville News 17’s Christian Canizal reports.
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