Florists have more than just late orders to worry about this year.
“Many guys wait until the very last minute, because they’re guys," said Kathy Sommerkamp, owner of Hewitt Florist.
Valentine’s Day is the busiest holiday of the year for florists across the United States.
Locally, owned flower shops were depending on the sales this holiday to rebound after a tough financial year.
“So this is our big one to keep us rolling all through the year and the summer months," said Sommerkamp. "This has been hard. I’ve done this 35 years, and this is the worst its ever been.”
This year, florists will not only have to battle a pandemic, but also an ice storm which has wrecked havoc on delivery schedules and prevented customers from being able to pick up orders.
“Our ordering volume is down due to the weather," said owner of Wolfe Wholesale Florist, Tom Wolfe Jr. "We are making deliveries, but we limited the number of deliveries we offer this year because it’s taking about five times longer to deliver between traffic and the weather.”
“We’ve even been able to deliver in snow... but this ice is terrible,” said Sommerkamp.
Despite the dangerous road conditions and incoming weather, both Wolfe’s Wholesale Florist and Hewitt Florist will continue to create beautiful arrangements so everyone can get a chance to show someone they care.
“People send flowers as a way to express their emotions and feelings in good times and bad," said Wolfe. "We really leave here with a since of accomplishment at the end of the day, and we feel like we have made a difference for somebody.”
Wolfe's Wholesale Florist and Hewitt’s Florist will be open Saturday, but with altered hours.
Don’t wait until the last minute, because due to the weather, orders could be delayed.
