Florists, retailers gear up for Valentine’s rush
Floral designers at one of the largest shops in The Woodlands are busy pruning roses, lilies and other colorful varieties of flowers for one of their busiest holidays of the year — Valentine’s Day.
At The Blooming Idea, which has two locations in The Woodlands, owner Mary McCarthy is a veteran florist who has been through this for 14 years. She has a wall covered by stacked boxes filled with glass vases and a few thousand roses to fill them.
The week of Valentine’s brings in 10 to 15 percent of McCarthy’s annual business, and she’s ready for the hectic season.
“Being a florist, you can’t do a lot in advance,” McCarthy said, since she tries to keep her flowers fresh and long-lasting. “It’s a critical holiday. It carries the company though the quiet summer months.”
Businesses around The Woodlands are preparing
for a heart-filled holiday on Feb. 14. Large floral retailers like The Blooming Idea are a bit anxious about a slower sales season this year. According to the Society of American Florists, 68 percent of florists expect a decrease in sales.
With Valentine’s Day on a weekend, McCarthy expects the competition with restaurants, movie theaters and other retailers to be fiercer as more people may opt for romantic outings and getaways over the weekend.
McCarthy and her husband, Brian, have turned to social media for the first time this year in hopes of edging up their sales. Even with the anticipated decline, the husband-wife duo isn’t too concerned. They love their jobs and the smiles they get to put on people’s faces.
“It’s one of the best jobs in the world. Everyone wants to see you coming,” Brian said.
Smaller floral shops like Sprouts Fine Floral Concepts aren’t too concerned about dips in sales. Owner AnnEngelbrecht is instead concerned about being so bombarded that she’ll have to turn people away, which she’s done in previous years.
Engelbrecht crunched the numbers and placed her orders for traditional long-stemmed red roses, pink O’Hara roses and other popular Valentine’s Day flowers before Christmas. Orders for floral arrangements started rolling in right after Jan. 1, and she expects the pressure will rise as Valentine’s Day inches closer.
“We have to buy all of those flowers on speculation. It’s a very nerve-racking thing, but florists are used to it. We’re veterans of it. We’re ready,” Engelbrecht said.
Like many small-business owners, Engelbrecht can’t fulfill every order and still maintain the detail she enjoys putting into each arrangement. Once she books her delivery calendar solid — her shop runs three delivery vans — she refers customers elsewhere. Her advice: If any rose will do, then no sweat; most grocery stores sell flowers. But custom arrangements need to be booked in advance.
“I have several orders already that people call and say, ‘I’m ordering now because last time I called, I couldn’t get you.’ I don’t apologize for it. If they love us, then they call us, and we’re ready for them. … Like anything else, it’s all about preparation,” Engelbrecht said.
Valentine’s Day isn’t complete without a sweet treat. Chef Lisa Green has churned out Valentine’s Day cakes, cookies, cupcakes and more from her bakery Kiss The Cook Cakes in The Woodlands for 14 years.
Although she’s a veteran pastry chef with 25 years under her belt, she still gets a little anxious before Valentine’s Day. She plans to purchase a total of 72dozen eggs — with the possibility of running emergency trips to the grocery store for more— and 6 gallons of red dye.
“There’s probably not another drop of red dye in town,” Green said.
She’s seen the holiday shift from exclusively for couples to a holiday that broadly celebrates love and compassion, especially among-tight-knit families.
“We’ve seen that a lot more in our time,” Green said.
While some consumers plan out Valentine’s Day weeks in advance, others may be more inclined to last-minute purchases. Heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, flowers and cards — staple Valentine’s Day gifts — can be found at most grocery stores. Retailers like The Home Depot also sell floral arrangements and boxes of roses.