Floral shop orders reflect isolation in pandemic
Flowers help people connect, encourage one another as messages of love, consolation and a personal touch in lonely era of crisis
Debbie Wright says seeing the pandemic’s effect on customers of her Pasadena floral shop has reinforced to her how flowers can help people connect, console and encourage each other during trying times.
After more than 30 years in the floral business, the owner of The Enchanted Florist in Pasadena says she has always taken the meaning behind a flower arrangement to heart, whether it is celebratory and hopeful or grieving and regretful.
This year, those messages and greetings have been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic that has kept loved ones from attending funeral and memorial services, weddings and birthday gatherings.
“It seems like the notes on the cards are longer these days,” she said. “People try to get what they’re feeling all in one order.”
The Enchanted Florist has operated via no-contact curbside delivery or by appointment only. The shop has experienced ebbs and flows that reflect coronavirus trends and venue restrictions, she said, but business has been good.
“During March and April, all the weddings were postponed, but most of our weddings that had been postponed have already been rescheduled and we’ve done them,” said Wright, 66. “So, that hasn’t really affected us.”
The bulk of the shop’s revenue remains funeral work, and that’s where Wright has seen the impact of COVID-19. Rules for funeral services have fluctuated to reflect pandemic conditions, but orders to Wright’s shop have remained steady.
“There are more people sending flowers,” Wright said. “That’s the way they’re expressing themselves because they’re not able to attend. So we’ve been very, very busy.”
Like restaurants offering curbside and other businesses going online, Wright has found a way to survive during an unpredictable business climate.
The need to say it with flowers, Wright said, has become more pronounced. “People want you to know that they’re thinking about you,” she said.
Customers are also looking for other means to connect.
“People are so excited nowadays to get flowers,” Wright said. Sometimes the delivery becomes a welcome break for those who just want to come out of their pandemic seclusion, especially older people who may be homebound and alone.
“Older people are very afraid of COVID,” Wright said. “They are just very careful … and we want to keep a distance, but when we go deliver they’ll follow us and not let us get back in our car, because they’re lonely, they want to talk and have some kind of interaction.” Wright said it’s those longer messages on cards and the personal stories from customers that drive home the emotional toll the pandemic has had on people.
“When someone orders a casket cover and they tell you that their husband died alone because they couldn’t come in (to the hospital room) — that gives you goosebumps,” she said. That order, Wright said, becomes part of the grieving process in a way that’s different than before.
Gloria Cervantes, Enchanted Florist’s arranger, sees the difference, too. She had always taken pride in her work, but now she said she finds greater gratification in her role as messenger. Her arrangements fill a void, she said.
“We feel a lot of people are lonely now, and then for those people who can’t go to a family member’s funeral, they feel helpless and sad because they can’t be there,” Cervantes said. “With flowers, it’s a way for us to help them express their affection and love.”
Wright started her business because she just loved flowers, but she also felt a calling to provide a source of comfort or to convey joy.
“This year has made what we do more meaningful,” she said. “I take it very personal and try to do the very best with every order that comes in.”