Comms 487 - News Story

Saying It With Flowers
By Erica Layne Nielsen
February 13, 2007

Only one day out from one of the biggest commercial holidays of the year, flower shops in Utah County are gearing up for this celebration of love.

Julie Winward, owner of Sweet Pea Flowers & Gifts in American Fork, said she ordered her Valentine’s flowers six weeks in
advance.

“Right after Christmas we begin preparing for Valentine’s,” she said. “Even before that, in the fall, we place some orders.”

Additional preparation includes securing advertising, ordering vases, arranging candy and teddy bears in the shop, and hiring on extra cashiers, designers, and delivery drivers.

Though two drivers normally handle deliveries for Sweet Pea Flowers & Gifts, Winward said around Valentine’s she uses eight or nine drivers, all of whom begin deliveries at 6 or 7 AM.

Ray Johnson, owner of Orem Floral & Gift, said he asks customers to allow his shop to deliver the flowers the day before Valentine’s. Otherwise, he said, they would have to put a cap on the number of orders they could accept.

The holiday rush—or “onslaught,” as Johnson calls it—keeps all employees on their feet for long hours, which is why Julie Winward tries to keep spirits high in her shop.

“We start early and work late every day for a good week or more,” she said, adding that they bring meals in, go out for occasional lunches, and have give-away drawings for employees.

“This year we’re even going to have one of those back massagers in here,” she said. “We’ll be taking turns.”

Windward said she encourages customers to place their Valentine’s orders two weeks, or at least one week, in advance, allowing the florist time to get everything in order for the anticipated day.

She also said that flowers are more expensive one week before and two weeks after Valentine’s Day, because both the growers and the wholesalers raise the prices before the flowers even reach the shop. Valentine’s may be the holiday florists have to prepare for the most, she said, but Mother’s Day is their biggest moneymaker because growers and wholesalers don’t raise prices, allowing florists to raise prices and keep the profit.

Quinn Fullmer, owner of Bloomers Floral & Gift in Provo, said his shop sold about 1,200 roses last year for Valentine’s and at least 1,000 stems of other flowers. The carnation, he said, is the second most popular flower among customers.

Fullmer said one of the most extravagant Valentine’s purchases he can remember was a $1,200 flower arrangement ordered last year. This lavish arrangement consisted of six dozen roses adorned with calla lilies and stargazer lilies.