For florists in Manhattan, it is the calm before the storm. Valentine’s Day, one of the biggest holidays for these businesses, is next week, but Kistner’s Flowers is still expecting a rush of orders to come in.
“It’s kind of like pre-gaming,” said Bronwyn Douglas, co-owner of Kistner’s Flowers. “Getting everyone ready mentally for pushing hard and making beautiful things for people.”
Douglas’s “pre-gaming” consists of processing the flowers coming in in preparation for the orders she expects, training delivery drivers and more. She said she has noticed that orders for Valentine’s Day flowers tend to come in last-minute. She is expecting most of the orders to start coming in Sunday and continue through Tuesday.
Douglas said people tend to think of receiving flowers on Valentine’s Day because “that’s the day that counts,” which is why there is typically such a mass influx of orders last-minute. Karen Medlin, owner of Westloop Floral, though, said people should start thinking of sending flowers earlier and giving the recipients more time to enjoy them.
“(The recipients) see that the person sending the flowers thought ahead and it wasn’t a last minute thing,” Medlin said. “It kind of makes them look good in front of their fellow employees. They are the leaders.”
Medlin and Douglas also recommend that customers give their florists the chance to design something personal for the recipients of the flower arrangements. They agreed letting the florists be creative is how people are going to get the best arrangements.
“You’re going to get the best arrangement from that … the designers here are all artists and come up (with) some pretty creative ideas,” Douglas said. “That’s the best way to get the highest quality and design in product.”
Medlin said customers do not need to feel limited to what is online or the pictures they see on the internet. Based on a few questions about the recipients, the florists can create a more personal and creative flower arrangement.
She said there is no way to go wrong with the traditional red, pink and white flowers, and roses are the most popular around this time. According to About Flowers’ article, “Valentine’s Day Floral Statistics,” red roses make up 63 percent of flower sales for the holiday, though there is so much more out there.
Douglas said the best part about this holiday is the ability to serve people and make their days with a flower arrangement. She said the people she works with put a lot of love into a product meant for loved ones.
“Valentine’s Day is a fun day for everyone,” Medlin said. “Flowers are just special. No matter what, it’s always nice to get flowers.”
