Many a frazzled man or woman has felt the last minute rush of picking up a Valentine’s Day bouquet for their sweetheart. Florists feel that crush many times over, because they fulfill every flustered order. Valentine’s Day is a busy season for Bonney Lake and Sumner’s flower shops. Amanda’s Flowers and Gifts of Bonney Lake, and Blooms by the Windmill in Sumner are ramping up for the holiday. The holiday competes only with Mother’s Day in terms of customer traffic, Amanda’s proprietor Cathy Lockwood said. “I would say it’s more like Valentine’s Week,” Lockwood said. “That’s become more popular with customers in terms of how they go through with the holiday.” Tom O’Connell, owner of Blooms at the Windmill, gets business at a different pace.
“No, we don’t have a Valentine’s week,” he said.
“That would be nice. There’s a lot (of last- minute orders). Because it’s guys ordering and guys order at the last minute. But we’re so organized here it’s not too much of a problem. You hear horror stories, though.”
Lockwood was already in the midst of her busy season, taking a break from arranging tables full of flowers to speak. By the end of Valentine’s Day Monday, she will probably have been up 24 hours completing last minute orders, she said.
“We have loyal customers who plan ahead, but you will always have a lot of men waiting until the last minute.”
Like any commodity, flowers are beholden to the laws of supply and demand. Both Lockwood and O’Connell confirmed that wholesale flower prices doubled or tripled during the Valentine’s Day season.
Amanda’s took the hit, buying at the wholesale price and only placing a slight mark-up on bouquets.
“We don’t put our orders in the cooler and wait to deliver them,” she said. “The grocery store has a lot of nice flowers, but they’re probably going to have been there a couple weeks. We make sure our product is nothing but fresh, nice flowers.”
Blooms avoided the price rise by ordering its flowers in November, at pre-season prices, O’Connell said. Normal prices of $59, $69 and $78 bouquets are raised by $10 each during the season.
“On a normal day I do a few (flower orders),” O’Connell said. “For Valentine’s we will do hundreds. About 100 to 120 orders in the day.”
He anticipated more delivery orders than the norm on the day of, because the holiday is on a Monday this year, he said.
“Guys want to surprise their wife or girlfriend with flowers at work,” he said.
Chocolates and stuffed bears are close seconds to flowers in terms of orders at both shops.
Lockwood offered some advice to men in terms of finding the perfect Valentine’s Day gift: “I remember one year I was in a salon after the holiday and women were telling each other what they had gotten for Valentine’s Day. I would say, whatever you can get her that will make her want to brag to her friends is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.”
Amanda’s Flowers and Gifts is currently operating a promotion in which, for every dozen flowers bought, it will include a surprise gift.
Amanda’s Flowers and Gifts is located at 20928 state Route 410 E. in Bonney Lake. Its number is 253-447-4215.
Blooms at the Windmill is located at 16009 60th St E, Suite G in Sumner. Its number is 253-891-7187.
