13 February 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Local businesses are getting ready ahead of Valentine’s Day.
At Stems, owner Cheryl Dixon says she has been in the business for 20 years, and supplies and flowers have never been so expensive.
“Paying for a rose and everything now, it’s just everything has gone up because flowers, transportation, you know, the weather, it all affects it,” Dixon said. “My red roses are the highest I ever paid in 20 years.”
Stems is expecting to have over 100 deliveries on Wednesday. They received their flowers on Sunday and are working to get the orders done in time.
“Valentine’s Day, you’re trying to get roses that came from Ecuador into Wichita, Kansas, and then put them in a vase, and then it’s cold outside, and then you got to put a trash bag over it.”
Dixon says the pandemic changed everything for small businesses. People have less discretionary income, supply and demand is a challenge, and prices are high.
“You have to go through the list and decide what do you want to buy, and do I need that many or not that many? But of course, the more you buy, the less the price is. But you don’t want to have flowers left over at the end, either. It goes on forever. And then I spend hours making books for all my designers of everything we have on the web page,” Dixon said.
Dixon says don’t wait until the last minute to get your flowers because they will sell out.
Paradise Donuts also sees an influx in business on Valentine’s Day. They have pre-orders on the schedule but also expect many walk-ins.