- Video shows preparations underway at Schroeder's Flowers ahead of Valentine's Day.
- Valentine's Day is the biggest day of the year for florists, although challenges remain including costs and the date of this year's holiday.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
The biggest day of the year for football fans is over. But for local florists, their biggest week of the year is just getting started.
Brian Schroeder is a fifth-generation florist. His family has been in the flower business since 1899.
"If you're just a florist yes, it's the day for a florist," he said.
Valentine's Day week is a major time for business at Schroeder's Flowers. It comes at a crucial point in the calendar and Schroeder says his shop always plans around it.
"Valentine's Day breaks up the winter slow time that we have and it really creates a large income stream. Lots of business happens for Valentine's Day week," he said.
This year, the calendar presents a challenge.
Schroeder says because the holiday falls on a Saturday, their expectations aren't quite as high.
"Not as busy. People tend to do other things," said Schroeder when asked about what he was expecting compared to previous years.
"It's harder to send flowers to the businesses because they're closed. [We] ordered less flowers because of the date. We just know it's going to be less."
And he says florists aren't immune to higher costs. Lately the price of the most popular flower, roses, has been on the rise.
"Most of the roses are produced not in the country. [They are] produced in Ecuador or Columbia. I'm sure their price has gone up," said Schroeder referring to the international rose market.
"Shipping them have gone up to get them here. There's tariffs. All the costs have gone up so they have to go up too."
According to the National Retail Federation, a dozen roses is expected to cost anywhere from $70 to $110 this year, depending on size and color.
But even with a slightly higher price tag, Schroeder says there's a reason Valentine's Day remains a boon of the flower industry.
"If you get chocolates, you eat it, it's gone. But you get the nice feeling of the chocolate, the taste. You get the same feeling with flowers. I guess it's the nice feeling for getting something new," said Schroeder.
Schroeder says he expects Friday to be the busiest day for deliveries while Saturday will be their biggest day for walk-in purchases.
