14 February 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Business is blooming for local florists ahead of Valentine’s Day.
Tillie’s Flower Shop in east Wichita says this time of year is always bustling.
“The 13th is actually the busiest for us trying to prepare for the 14th. And then walk-in traffic is actually the busiest on the 14th,” said Tillie’s co-owner Jennifer Barnard.
With the holiday being on a Tuesday, it actually helps keep their business under control.
“So typically, on the weekends, people are out busy, and then you throw in a Super Bowl in there, and they’re not really thinking about Valentine’s Day. so this Monday gives us an extra day to prep, and for people to actually think about Valentine’s Day versus last year, everybody called on Valentine’s Day in a panic,” said Barnard.
The shop prepared by ordering nearly five times their normal stock in red roses – their top seller – for a grand total of about 10,000 flowers.
Tillie’s said they began planning for this year’s Valentine’s Day the day after Valentine’s Day last year. All of their orders were placed by December.
“We really have to plan about what we’re going to sell because we buy direct from the farms, and that way, they know what to grow for us,” Barnard noted.
The flowers were shipped from South America, and the rise in pricing isn’t just because of the Valentine’s Day demand. On top of labor, fuel, and shipping expenses, this season is actually not ideal for growing flowers.
“There are two seasons in South America: A dry and a wet season,” Barnard explained, “So growing right now is actually really hard for South America, so they have to put more labor and more resources into that. So we pay double to triple for a single red rose than we normally do year around.”
Despite the increase in cost, Tillie’s roses are still expected to be a hot seller on Valentine’s Day. Barnard even worries their 10,000 flowers won’t be enough for all of their customers.
“We are a little bit concerned that we might run out of red roses this year. We thought we were gonna have some left over, but we are concerned that we might be sold out of them,” she said.