by Ondine Brooks Kuraoka

—[ live your dream ]—

Italian roses, peonies, dahlias and bearded irises beckon Che Bella visitors to breathe in their fine scent. This Little Italy boutique flower shop feels like a timeless watercolor painting. Its rustic wooden backdrop is ensconced in a poetic, airy retreat behind an enclave of specialty shops.

Jim and Carla Bassi opened Che Bella in 2002. They enjoy walking to work; they live a block away. Jim is also an executive director of the Little Italy Association. Che Bella is a family business; their daughter Thea works with them, and now their grandson is an apprentice.

The Bassis pride themselves in creating a thought-filled gift of floristry artisanship with each arrangement. “We do things a little differently here,” Jim says. “Each piece is custom. We don’t have things ready to go out the door. When somebody makes an order, it’s more or less an interview: ‘What is the recipient like? What is their favorite color? What is their house like?’”

Jim admits that he pestered Carla to open a flower shop during nearly all of the 32 years they’ve been married. “Carla’s a floral genius,” he says. “She’s been a flower fairy all her life; she began as a florist at age 15.”

The greatest challenge has been managing the expectations of first-time customers. “When someone’s paying $50-100 for an arrangement, sometimes people expect it to be huge— but it’s not always going to be that way,” Jim says.

Though long hours are routine, the Bassis know they offer something unique to their neighborhood. They keep the big picture in mind at all times: “We focus on quality,” says Jim. “A dollar amount doesn’t necessarily mean big, but it can mean sublime.”

chebellafiori.com