For many, Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate your relationship with your significant other but for your local florists, it’s their busiest time of the year.
Corinila Hutson, the owner of Alene's Flower Cottage on 981 Riverside Drive in Gainesville, said on Valentine’s Day itself, they do over 150 arrangements.
“We probably get out maybe 100 orders that day delivered and probably another 50 to 75 pickups, approximately,” Huston said.
Flowers are one of the three most bought items on Valentine's day, after candy and greeting cards according to Statista.
Carol Slaughter, the owner of Occasions Florist on 100 Washinton Street Northwest in Gainesville said even with the rise in the cost of flowers, the orders are still flowing in.
“I would say your average bouquet would start around 60. I mean, if you come in the shop, we do anything to your budget before your delivery,” Slaughter said.
A typical arrangement usually takes about 20 minutes to make. According to Huston, roses are the number one flower when it comes to Valentine’s Day arrangements. Red, pink, yellow and peach are the most sold color roses.
Each color has a different meaning. Red means love, yellow friendship and pink sincerity. Slaughter said each nursery has its own criteria of what the colors mean, however, those are usually the basics.
Small businesses usually tailor the arrangements to the customer's preferences. According to Slaughter, customers usually know about their reputation and trust their designs.
“We're independent florists so we don't have like patented pieces that we do, because everything is done to order. No two really are alike and most of the time, they [customers] want to leave it to us,” Slaughter said.
