Sycamore community honors sisters, longtime former owners of Kar-Fre Flowers

SYCAMORE – Two Sycamore sisters known for their floral arrangements were given top honors on Thursday at Sycamore Chamber of Commerce’s 108th annual meeting.

Kris Wrenn and Michelle Schulz, the daughters of the founders of Kar-Fre Flowers, received a standing ovation from more than 300 community leaders when they were bestowed the Clifford Danielson Outstanding Citizen Award.

Wrenn, a former Sycamore Community School District 427 board of education member, said she spent much of the past month muling over her memories of growing up in Sycamore. She said she wanted to thank the community for their support.

“One night, when I wasn’t sleeping and tossing and turning in bed, it occurred to me that those memories are really the foundation for my love for Sycamore, and why I find it so magical. Why I’ve always wanted to try and give back to this town,” Wrenn said.

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Kris Wrenn, who owned and operated Kar-Fre Flowers along with her sister Michelle Schulz (not pictured), smiles as she and her sister are introduced as the winners of the Clifford Danielson Outstanding Citizen Award during the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting Thursday, March 6, 2025, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sycamore. (Mark Busch)

Wrenn reminisced on what it was like to move to Sycamore at age 10 when her parents took out a loan to kickstart their business: Kar-Fre Flowers, 1126 E. State St. The sisters have since retired from the business.

“They [parents] hoped that if they provided a quality product and a fair price, with honest, friendly, sincere customer service, people would support them,” Wrenn said. “We were so lucky because this community chose to embrace us.”

Michelle Schulz, Wrenn’s sister, thanked the Chamber for the Clifford Danielson Outstanding Citizen Award by showcasing her love for her longtime friend Beth Willey.

While introducing Schulz, Willey said the florist sisters were a part of a club they called the children of business owners “stuck” in DeKalb and Sycamore. Schulz and Wrenn are now the matriarchs of their families, and they’ve welcomed in the club’s latest members. At the Thursday event, infants and toddlers sat at the sisters' family table to celebrate the award.

Willey has since moved from Sycamore. But Schulz didn’t miss an opportunity to continue a birthday tradition she said was started after Willey’s mother died.

“Until she moved away, I always made her a banana cake, and then she moved to Florida and that got a little hard, but she’s here,” Schulz said as she presented a banana cake to Willey.

Willey said Schulz was the woman behind the Chamber’s annual seasonal event Santa during the holidays, and the Chamber’s annual Winter Chocolate Walk. Willey also recalled Schulz asking she thought they’d ever been pillars of Sycamore.

“I said ‘Oh God, no, Michelle, us?’ But you know what, I was wrong, because Kris and Michelle, you are pillars,” Willey said. “Congratulations. I love you.”

Ideal Industries awarded Chamber’s top business accolade

Schulz and Wrenn weren’t the only Sycamore business leaders that were honored Thursday. Ideal Industries was given the chamber’s Community Diamond Award, one of four honors bestowed to outstanding businesses in Sycamore.

Ideal CEO Steve Henn thanked the city for the support Ideal has received during the hundred years that the business has operated in Sycamore.

He highlighted collaborative efforts between the City and Ideal. The partnership lead to the development of Ideal Prairie Business Park and a new $1 million mile-long walking path called The Connector. The path runs around a retention pond near the business’ campus along Borden Avenue and South Prairie Drive. It sits across the road from land the company donated to the city for the construction of a new fire station.

“The project is really our way to not only give back to the community and our employees, but it’s a thank you for the support of the past 100 years,” Henn said.

Three other businesses also received accolades: Kramer’s Kitchen & Bath was given the Chamber Champion Award. Green Closet Creative was honored with the Spirit of Small Business Award. And Blain’s Farm & Fleet of Sycamore was named the 2024 Sycamore Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Business Award.

All of the companies that were honored Thursday pointed their success to the support of local consumers, employees and community leaders.

For Wrenn, that was the most important point to bring home when accepting the Clifford Danielson Outstanding Citizen Award.

“We felt the warmth, the support and love, and in turn we wanted to love and support our little town,” Wrenn said. “It’s powerful when people choose to support your livelihood. We never wanted to take that for granted, and we were always striving to seek out what was best for Sycamore and be a part of it.”