The Herald Bulletin

Overnight update

Entertainment

Related Photos

  • Susan Dowling finishes with an arrangement as Diane Ashley, background, takes care of a customer at The Flower Cart in Pendleton last week as they prepared for the rush of Valentine's Day.

    0213 news The Flower Cart 48a.jpg

  • Stuffed animals are popular gifts for Valentine's Day.

    0213 news The Flower Cart 73a.jpg

  • Diane Ashley, owner of The Flower Cart in Pendleton, arranges the several different types of Valentine's Day themed stuffed animals she has at her shop.

    0213 news The Flower Cart 59a.jpg

Discussion

February 12, 2012

Got flowers for Valentine's Day?

Local florists promote personal service over convenience

By Stuart Hirsch The Herald Bulletin

ANDERSON, Ind. — If you’re a wife or girlfriend reading this story, avert your eyes. This one’s for the men in your life.

Listen up, guys: Valentine’s Day is Tuesday. Which means you have two days to get it right or pay the price.

Resist the temptation to order online. Instead, hop into your car and take a little drive down to your local florist to buy those roses.

Valentine’s Day is the florist industry’s Black Friday.

Mother’s Day is big, So is Christmas. But nothing compares to Feb. 14, local florists said.

Beth Owens, owner of K’s Blossom Shoppe Inc., expects sales to hit $18,000 to $22,000 during the holiday this year.

Diane Ashley, owner of The Flower Cart and Tuxedo Shop in Pendleton, said one of the most important reasons to buy flowers locally is better service.

“I can have something delivered faster than a pizza sometimes,” she said. “We move a lot and cover a lot of territory on Valentine’s Day, all for the smiles it brings to the little girls and to the big girls.”

After 38 years in business, Ashley said she knows her customers. They have history.

“When you go outside your local florist, you’re not dealing with someone you have a relationship with.”

Online “shops” often do nothing more than take orders, charge a handling fee, and then farm fulfilling those orders to local florists anyway.

Like most florists Owens has joined an online service, Teleflora. They help her with marketing and she can obtain supplies and other services, but only 10-15 percent of her business comes from the service.

The balance has to be made up by local customers, she said.

“You’ve had a lot of mom-and-pop shops in Anderson that have been in business for years. They have a strong foundation and a great reputation,” Owens said. “If we support our local businesses, we support our local people and our local economy. Mom-and-pop shops are the mainstay of our community.”

That sentiment is shared by many of Owens’ florist colleagues.

Going online is easy, said Ratsamy Brier, owner of Toles Flowers, but what happens if the flower arrangement you want isn’t available? That spells trouble and even means your order might not be delivered, she said.

“When you call the local flower shop we can tell you what we have in stock,” she said. “We also have other things besides flower gift items.”

With the growing prevalence of online shopping and big box stores, many independent businesses are finding it harder to make ends meet, which is why the “buy local” movement has gained traction in recent years.

“The bottom line is most of us are in a hurry and have things to do,” said Ramon Avila, the George and Frances Ball distinguished professor of marketing at Ball State University.

To succeed, local businesses have to be aggressive, talk about the advantages of their products and services. In the case of flower shops, the message might be “we’re going to make a flower arrangement that you personally choose.”

“We take pride in people recognizing our work before they even read the card,” said Sherri Ousley, of Ousley’s Flowers in Alexandria. “We appreciate it a great deal when someone will shop locally. We try to support our local businesses also. That’s how small towns are going to survive. It’s a community.”

Contact Stuart Hirsch: 640-4861, stu.hirsch@heraldbulletin.com

Text Only
Entertainment