People usually buy red roses for their significant other on Valentine’s Day, but SooToday asked a few local vendors if flower sales have bloomed more than ever, since couples won’t be able to enjoy dinner or a show due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
“I would say we’ve had a lot more customers in the last couple of days than we did compared to last year. I think people still want to spoil their partners and this is a way they can still do it,” said Sam Wilson, Rome's Your Independent Grocer floral manager, speaking to SooToday Saturday.
The pandemic led many farmers to cut down on flower production last year, leading to a shortage of roses.
But there’s no shortage of them at Rome’s, Wilson said.
“We were able to get all of our product in. It’s been a good year,” Wilson said.
Rome’s, being a grocery store, was open to shoppers Saturday.
The doors of small flower shops, however, were closed to customers due to the lockdown, business owners instead taking over the phone or online orders of flowers and performing curbside service for customers Saturday.
“There have been supply chain issues (earlier in the pandemic), but for this Valentine’s Day I pre-ordered. I find, for the most part, people are just so happy they can get flowers,” said Emma Burns, owner/operator of The Flower Shop on Gore Street.
“During the Valentine’s Day period we get the most foot traffic, so that’s been a little different. But people have been good. They’ve been calling ahead and we have a table at the front (curbside service). We have all their stuff ready and then they just come and pick it up.”
In fact, The Flower Shop, while still very much ‘there’ and in business, has had its doors closed to indoor customers pretty much since COVID restrictions first hit us in March, the business operating through online orders and curbside service.
“I’m staying in Phase Two (a gradual reopening of the economy) and I’m not coming out of it until it’s over,” Burns chuckled.
“It’s rocking and rolling about the same (referring to business in general). The only difference is of course people can’t come in (due to the lockdown). People have adjusted (to ordering online, even before the pandemic). I have a good internet presence, which really helps. I have all my regular customers,” Burns said.
“There isn’t a shortage of roses. There was in the summer but now the growers have been able to catch up,” said Riley Greco, Flowers With Flair floral designer.
“We have been extremely busy, and part of it is the push towards local shopping,” Greco said, adding she appreciates the support Flowers With Flair has received from Sault customers.
“Most definitely. We’re a local, family-run business.”
“The other part of it is definitely that everybody is looking to contact family by any means they can, so there’ve been a lot of people ordering flowers just so they can send them to somebody, just to let them know they’re thinking of them.”
“In terms of Valentine’s Day, because nobody can go out, there’ve definitely been a lot of orders. We’re typically pretty busy on Valentine’s Day anyway, but this year it was really nice that everybody ordered ahead of time, so we were able to plan a little bit better. Everybody’s been really patient and understanding and open to just trusting us to make really beautiful floral arrangements,” Greco said.
These days, when it comes to flowers on Valentine’s Day, it isn’t always about red roses.
“Black roses are really popular this year. We did a special order of black roses. That sold out last week,” Greco said.
Black roses are usually associated with funerals, but for some, they represent new things or a new era.
“I would say if people just give us a colour scheme we can make floral arrangements based on that. In terms of flowers, there’s so much variety now. We have carnations, orchids, sunflowers, wildflowers, hydrangeas, but roses are always key (for Valentine’s Day),” Greco said.
“Red roses are definitely the favourite. But people are going to more untraditional options, I would say. I have more customers leaning toward rainbow roses, blue and purple roses...flowers do have a meaning, depending on the colour, and I think people are just going with the preferences of their partner as opposed to what the traditional meaning would be,” said Wilson at Rome’s.
No matter the colour or type of flower, with the COVID-19 state of emergency not set to lift (to an extent) until Tuesday, most Sault and area couples will be enjoying the view of flowers on the coffee table, viewing a movie from the couch and eating takeout food, hoping for a post-COVID Valentine’s Day next year.