Esperañza González, Roberto and Laura González’s sister, picks white roses out of the refrigerator at the shop.

Unforgettable Moments Floral Shop & Events, a locally owned business on Milwaukee’s South Side, is operated by siblings Roberto and Laura González. The shop opened in October 2019, building on the family’s experience in event decoration that began in 2011.

The exterior of Unforgettable Moments Floral Shop & Events, 2101 W. Mitchell St.
Decorations hang near the front entrance at Unforgettable Moments Floral Shop & Events.

The shop is open seven days a week and specializes in floral arrangements for weddings, baptisms and other life-cycle celebrations.

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“Our main clients are Hispanics,” Roberto González said. “We’re in a central location in the community.”

Roberto González, co-owner of Unforgettable Moments Floral Shop & Events, helps finish a last-minute order for a wreath.
Co-owner Laura González adjusts a flower arrangement.

Although the family had no formal training in floristry, Laura González remembers flowers always being part of their home growing up. Her wedding in 2011 inspired the event side of their business. The business is one of the few in Milwaukee that focus on Latino cultural traditions and celebrations.

The González family immigrated to Milwaukee from Mexico in search of a new opportunity. 

“My parents came to Milwaukee first because they saw more job opportunities here, and later they brought us,” Roberto González said.

Several poinsettia plants sit on a display at the shop. The poinsettia is native to Mexico and is known as “Flor de Nochebuena,” or the “Christmas Eve flower.”
Sunlight streams through the windows at Unforgettable Moments Floral Shop & Events.
Flower arrangements are stored in a refrigerator at Unforgettable Moments Floral Shop & Events.

Opening the shop just months before the COVID-19 pandemic presented early challenges, including financial and operational setbacks. 

“It was the most difficult stage for our business,” Roberto González said. “But we had to keep going.”

Rows of plush toys and a variety of other merchandise fill the store shelves.

Despite those obstacles, the shop has seen steady growth, particularly during peak floral holidays such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Roberto González said community support has been key to the shop’s success.

Colorful fish swim in a display tank at the shop.
A turtle rests in the water of its enclosure at the shop.
Several eternal roses, flowers that are meant to retain their beauty indefinitely, are displayed for sale on a shelf.
A snow-globe inspired flower arrangement displayed on a shelf for sale.
Several different types of house plants are sold at the shop.

Looking ahead, the siblings are preparing to open a second location in Racine and hope to expand further throughout Milwaukee and Wisconsin. 

“We’re very happy with the response from the community,” Roberto González said. “Everything we do, we do with love.”

Milo, Roberto González’s family pug and a regular at the store, walks around the showroom.
A gingerbread-themed flower arrangement.
A Grinch-themed flower arrangement containing roses coated in glitter.
Esperañza González, Roberto and Laura González’s sister, applies the finishing touches to a wreath for a same-day order.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Jonathan Aguilar is a photojournalist as well as a Report for America corps member and Catchlight Local fellow. Before coming to Milwaukee, he spent two years as a photographer at one of America’s oldest daily newspapers, The Blade, in Toledo, Ohio. Aguilar grew up in the Chicago suburbs. He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from DePaul University and his master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism.