Rooted picked this new venture to expand its North End Rockford business
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A new venture filling space inside Rooted on the city’s North End will provide curated bouquets to grab and go.
Rooted owner Liz Schaer was looking for a concept to expand her business at 1408 N. Main St.
What she picked is Picked, a name that highlights the new flower business and ties into the Rooted theme.
“The goal of Rooted is to be a place that people can come to buy items that help you connect with others and with yourself, and I think that flowers are a great next step,” Schaer said. “You buy flowers to celebrate people. You buy flowers to boost your own mood. You buy flowers just because. It really pairs well with the mission that I already have at my shop.”
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Schaer is announcing the addition today, and grab-and-go bouquets are available now. In the future the bouquets will be available starting each Friday until supplies run out.
“I’m going to be starting small and then adding more and building from there,” Schaer said. “There’s definitely a hole in the market here in town for curated bouquets.”
The new venture comes after the departure of Wonderland Sweets, a locally owned bakery offering gourmet cakes, chocolates and other desserts that co-occupied space with Rooted. Wonderland announced about a month ago that it would leave Rooted at the end of May, but it hasn’t revealed a new location yet.
Schaer said she’s excited for Wonderland, her former tenant, to open in a new space that allows them to grow their business, too.
Rooted offers and eclectic mix of home goods, decor gifts, cards and vintage furniture. It started as a pop-up shop, often selling from inside the former GEM space in downtown Rockford. Schaer bought the building on North Main Street from a tax delinquent sale by the Region 1 Land Bank in 2020 and spent the next 18 months renovating the space.
Rooted opened on Dec. 17, 2021.
Schaer said that Picked was a natural next step for her shop.
“When you shop local you’re supporting a small business, and when you support their business they’re able to invest further into new fun things for the city,” she said. “That’s exactly where I’m at. I’m really happy to be able to add on to what I’ve been doing.”
About | Picked at Rooted
Where: 1408 N. Main St., Rockford
Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Online: rootedrkfd.com
On social: Instagram: @pickedbyrooted; Facebook: @rootedrkfd; Instagram: @rooted_rkfd
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
