Flowers bring beauty, life and opportunity to one Chicago neighborhood

By Kathleen Toner, CNN

Chicago (CNN) — Abandoned homes, run-down businesses, and vacant lots where condemned buildings once stood: These signs of urban decay are everywhere in Englewood, a community on Chicago’s South Side. It’s one of the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods, with a high poverty rate.

Many people avoid Englewood because of these problems; Quilen Blackwell moved there because of them. And for more than a decade, he’s worked to cultivate opportunities for the area’s young people. Several years ago, he came up with a surprising solution: flowers.

Since 2017, he’s turned vacant lots into eco-friendly flower farms and now employs 25 local young people to grow, arrange, and sell flowers through his nonprofit shop, Southside Blooms. By finding value in neglected spaces, he is giving youth a chance to blossom.

“Most people wouldn’t expect to see a full flower farm here,” said Blackwell, 40. “It’s really cool to be able to bring that beauty to places where people least expect it.”

‘A chance at something better’

Growing up in Madison, Wisconsin, Blackwell says he had a comfortable life full of opportunity. After college, he joined the Peace Corps, serving in rural Thailand, which sparked his interest in environmental issues. When he came to Chicago for ministry school, he tutored at a high school in Englewood – an experience that opened his eyes to the challenges his students faced.

“I started to just realize, I could be any one of these kids,” he said. “They’re people who want a chance at something better.”

He was looking for sustainable ways to fight urban poverty when he met Hannah Bonham, who shared this passion and his Christian faith. They married, and in 2015 bought their Englewood home, where they’ve established their nonprofit and raised their three children.

“If you’re really going to earn people’s respect … you have to walk a mile in their shoes, so to speak. And what that means is living in the heart of Englewood,” Blackwell said.

An idea takes root

In 2015, he and Hannah were helping turn a vacant lot into a community farm when they discovered that growing food meant navigating issues like regulations, access to clean water, and toxins in the soil.

Researching alternatives, Blackwell was surprised to learn that the US spends billions on cut flowers each year – and that more than 70% of them are imported.

“I said, ‘Wait a minute. Why are we importing flowers from other countries when we have all this land, all of this youth?” he said. “Maybe flowers are the answer.’”

In 2017, they bought two vacant lots and started a commercial flower farm and workforce development program that pays young people to raise the flowers. The effort provides much-needed jobs and transforms trash-strewn lots into vibrant gardens.

Today, the group has six off-the-grid farms around the city, growing everything from amaranth to zinnias. Rainwater harvesting systems collect water from the roofs of nearby homes, while solar panels power the irrigation system. Chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and fungicides are never used.

“We’re not certified organic, but we say we grow using sustainable practices. It’s actually beyond organic,” Blackwell said. “Everything is done as Mother Nature intended.”

He’s also found a way to work around Chicago’s winters by growing thousands of tulips in his basement, ensuring year-round jobs and flowers for Valentine’s Day.

Business is blooming

But farms are only half the story. Since 2019, their nonprofit shop, Southside Blooms, has sold the flowers they grow – creating jobs in floral arranging, logistics, and customer service. The ‘farm-to-vase’ florist delivers across the city and ships nationwide. Their slogan? Flowers that empower.

“We have retail bouquets, weddings, corporate events, and everything in between,” Blackwell said. “We’ll do corsages for your high school prom … all the way up to big ticket events at the Field Museum.”

While Blackwell manages the farms, Hannah runs the shop and serves as lead designer. It’s a complex operation that offers plenty of ways to get experience.

“Making sure that (orders are) scheduled to go out on time, that all of the flowers look good, making sure that they’re counted,” she said. “All of that happens because of the youth.”

They want employees to develop skills and confidence that will serve them in any job.

“We kind of leave it up to them to find what success looks like,” Blackwell said. “This is about creating real and tangible opportunity in a place that desperately needs it.”

Early next year, Blackwell says the group will open a second shop in Chicago and begin the process of expanding nationally. He believes that flower farms could eventually become common in urban areas across the US.

“Why couldn’t flowers support an industry in inner city America?” he said. “We want flowers to become to the hood, what wine grapes are to Napa Valley.”

Helping young people flourish

Dionta White, 28, never imagined he’d be a flower farmer. Growing up in Englewood, he fell into street life, losing friends to gun violence. When he eventually went to jail for burglary, he realized he wanted to make a change. But when a friend told him about Southside Blooms, he wasn’t excited.

“I’m like, ‘Bro, flowers? What?’” he said.

That was back in 2022. Now, he’s a senior member of the farm team, responsible for growing the flowers and helping train new employees. He says the work enables him to provide for his children and taught him the value of dedication.

“It feels good to be out here working outside in the garden,” he said. “Working here, I seen myself changing … calmer, more into nature.”

He’s also proud to be improving his neighborhood.

“It feels good to let people see Englewood for a different point of view instead of violence, gangbanging and killing,” he said. “When we grow these flowers, it just … bring(s) peace to the community.”

For Blackwell, helping young people flourish isn’t that different from growing flowers.

“Give them the right opportunity … the right support structures, and then all of a sudden you see the beauty of their lives shining for all to see,” he said. “Our young people are blossoming and blooming every single day.”

Want to get involved? Check out the Southside Blooms website and see how to help.

To donate to Southside Blooms via Pledge, click here

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