A Mixed Bouquet: How Floral Businesses Are Handling Mother's Day
BOSTON (CBS) – It's no secret Mother's Day is one of the busiest days of the year for floral shops. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, business has been a mixed bag for many around Massachusetts.
"Honestly we haven't been able to do much for business," said Orly Khon, who owns Orly Khon Floral in Boston's South End, with two other stores in the city. "Our main source of business is events, corporate clients that we get out of here weekly…and weddings."
When the stay-at-home order started, her team quickly set up an online ordering system for the first time, developing curbside pickup and delivery plans.
While her studio typically caters to larger events, they've all been canceled. She had to lay off her staff. So it was much to her surprise when Mother's Day came rolling around and an influx of online orders came in.
"The amount of orders and calls and things have been overwhelming," Khon told WBZ. She was able to hire some employees back the week of the holiday to put together arrangements.
But not all flower shops are blooming. At Flowers By The Station in Attleboro, the doors are closed for the first Mother's Day in 33 years. "It's been really hard," owner Anne Hunt told WBZ. The store "has been one of my babies, so to speak," she added.
Hunt said after deliberations with staff, they just didn't feel safe reopening. "Two or three people in the shop plus a couple of drivers was just too much," she said. "It wasn't set up for that, so I said this is not worth it."
Still, the decision was tough, especially because of decades of personal connections with customers that will be missed this Mother's Day. "It's really hard not just financially but because we know our customers. We know their mothers," Hunt said.
Hunt is hopeful Flowers By The Station can reopen in a limited capacity by the end of May. She recently ordered clear plastic barriers and other safety products to set up for a soft opening sometime after the holiday.