SYRACUSE -- There was a flurry of activity at Whistlestop Florist in East Syracuse Friday. With Valentine's Day coming up on Sunday, the last-minute push is on. "It represents a substantial amount of our business" said Nanette Hayner, Owner of Whistlestop Florist. Hayner relies on Valentine's deliveries. It's the second busiest holiday for them next to Mother's Day.
Hayner has been keeping a close eye on the situation in the mid-Atlantic states, pounded by record-breaking snowfall. She realizes, for florists there, it will probably wilt their Valentine's Day sales. "My heart goes out to the florists down in the cities along the east coast, because they're not having a good day at all. And I just can't imagine how they're handling it and I just feel so bad for them," Hayner said.
It was a close call, but she's breathing a sigh of relief. Her last shipment coming up from Miami, Florida was delayed due to the weather and just arrived today. "In fact our truck was a day and a half late too coming here and I'm glad it wasn't our only truck," Hayner said.
There are more weather woes that could have you paying more for flowers this year. It isn't a concern at Whistlestop, but other florists are fretting. That's because growers in Colombia, which supplies 75% of the cut flowers to the U.S. were hit hard with bad weather. 10% of Colombia's 500 million roses were decimated by frost.
While it's a big day for florists, hoping for a rosy holiday and counting on a sales bloom, they aren't the only ones. "It's our single busiest day as far as business for the year and it almost matches Christmas, the month of December," said P.J. Goodman, Owner of Sweet on Chocolate.
There was a packed crowed at Sweet on Chocolate in downtown Syracuse's Armory Square Friday. Folks were stocking up on something sweet for their loved ones. They've actually seen a slight increase in sales this year and hope it'll help carry them through to the next big holiday, Easter.
