* Location: 206 Tremont Street in North Chattanooga
* History: Local designers Gil Cartwright and Curt Hodge have worked in the flower industry for decades, lending their talents to a local florist before launching a business of their own in 1990. Flowers by Gil & Curt quickly developed a reputation for unique, outside-the-box creations.
"We gained our fame by doing different things. We were the first designers in the area to do teardrop glass vases and exposed stems," Cartwright says. "And when everyone was putting marbles in the bottom of vases, we chose seashells instead."
* Products: Flowers by Gil & Curt offers custom arrangements and installations for every occasion, choosing flowers, plants and atypical materials you would be hard-pressed to find in a refrigerated grocery store display. In addition to bright and exotic buds, driftwood and spark plug wires have been known to make appearances in Gil & Curt creations.
"Everything is individualized," Cartwright says. "You will never get a cookie-cutter arrangement."
* Prices: The average price for arrangements is between $65 and $100 plus cost of delivery, which averages between $8 and $25 depending on location.
* On-Site Arrangements: Flowers by Gil & Curt will travel to create installations and arrangements for large occasions, such as weddings in Wyoming.
* Website: flowersbygilandcurt.com