Mother-daughter team opening Mount Prospect art studio

A mother-daughter duo is bringing an art studio to Mount Prospect.

Bloom and Brush Art Studio, 350 West Kensington Road, Suite 117, will occupy a 1,300-square-foot space that has been vacant for at least a year.

The Mount Prospect village board Wednesday granted Agnes Jelen and her daughter PJ Jelen a conditional use permit for the studio.

The also changed zoning code to allow artistic studios in that type of business district that serves as a transition between residential and commercial properties.

Mount Prospect Community Development Director Jason Shallcross said the studio would complement other uses in the area, including a pickleball facility, a day care and physical therapy operations.

The concept stems from Agnes' more than 20-year career as a floral designer in the Chicago area.

“She decided that she wants to take on a new adventure, which is an art studio,” PJ told the board, adding that she plans to join her mother as a secondary instructor.

The studio will focus on painting and floral design. Materials will include acrylic and stucco paints, brushes and canvases and fresh flowers and related materials for floral arrangements.

Classes will be small, with, as Shallcross said, “two people teaching no more than 10 people how to do some nice stencils for Christmas.”

“We don’t want to crowd the space,” PJ said. “I don’t think it will be ever more than 10.”

A resident of Mount Prospect, PJ said she plans to build a community through word-of-mouth and a large social media presence.

“We plan on just creating a very calm space within that community, and of course, being respectful to the surrounding neighbors in the classes that we host,” she said. “We don’t plan on doing anything hazardous. We’re not using any toxic materials.”

Shallcross noted this is the first such request he can remember for the district, as similar businesses typically target downtown areas.

“I think this is a great use of the space,” Mayor Paul Hoefert said.