Strawflower Shop has been part of the Geneva retail landscape since the early 1970s, and its iconic clock tower stands out in such a way that it should be included in any picture promoting the city to visitors.

That’s why it wasn’t an easy decision for owners Susan and Mike Haas to change the name of the business at 210 W. State St. The official name is Geneva Design House by Strawflower, and that’s how the store will be branded for store signs, ads, social postings and news releases.

"Marketers kept telling us we will drop the Strawflower name after a period of time, but we’ll decide when we drop it," Mike Haas said. "We’re known by so many as Strawflower."

Still, Haas and his wife decided it was time to change the look and feel of the store, in addition to its name, mostly to lure younger homeowners and more accurately describe what the business offers.

"They are so used to looking at Instagram and Google to locate stores, and when Strawflower comes up, they might think, yeah, my mom goes there and buys dried flower arrangements or a candle," Haas said of younger consumers. "And they pass it by and go to the next store suggestion."

With Geneva Design House by Strawflower standing front and center, Haas figures he’ll be able to get the message out that walking into this store is all about designing your house and picking out the furniture, rugs and accessories to do so.

Haas hates to see the store’s display of area rugs not stand out. "We have one of the largest area rug selections in the Western suburbs, and the Strawflower name doesn’t really fit that."

Daughter Kelsey Haas is the interior design expert and "is really taking this store into her hands because she loves putting things together for customers," Haas said.

Those who have shopped at Strawflower for years will notice changes that go beyond the name. For one, there’s a kitchen inside that operates as a prop for showing people how to decorate that area of their home. Eventually, Haas is hoping he’ll at least be able to make coffee in there to offer to customers.

They will also notice the second floor no longer features furniture displays because the first floor has been remodeled to make more room and create a new space for Susan’s dry flower arrangements.

We can still expect to see the spectacular window displays the store is famous for, especially during the holidays.

"We will still have awesome Christmas window displays, regardless of the Christmas Walk likely not occurring this year," Haas said. "We know those displays are really inviting, and people take away some good ideas for their homes." Another Colonial change:

A couple of weeks after noting that the Colonial Café on Randall Road in St. Charles had eliminated its dinner hours to close at 2:30 p.m., we now hear that site is closing to make way for a new Syrup restaurant.Colonial will continue to operate its east-side Main Street location, as […]