Pittsburgh-area florist keeping costs affordable for Valentine's Day shoppers
Inside Flowerama in Ross Township, 33 years of Valentine's Day experience is on display. The owner, Patti Fowler, said this is their Super Bowl.
"By the end of the week, we'll easily go through about 20,000 stems of flowers," Fowler said. "We have almost 100 pieces waiting at the airport, flowers that have come in from around the world."
The flowers may be pouring in, but the cost for consumers is top of mind.
Last Valentine's Day, a single red rose was $7.99, and a dozen was $59.99. This year, the price remains the same, so how does a local business keep it that way?
"Price does make a difference when you're shopping for flowers. My relationships with the people I've been working with are longstanding," Fowler added.
Good relationships and experience are key to cost-cutting.
"I used to work on the grower end of the business as well, also used to be a wholesaler," said Fowler.
Timing is also important to keeping flower costs down. Fowler brought in a big refrigerator truck on Monday morning to house hundreds of flowers, not a day too early.
"Any place that I can create efficiency and reduce costs, it's just something that we're learning. Every year, we're learning something better to keep us on top of efficiency [and] cost reduction," Fowler said.
Customers who turned into employees learn how much work this week takes.
"This is my first rodeo on Valentine's Day here, but I love the hustle and bustle, the business of it all," employee Lindsay Mckay said.
Even though prices changed over time, it's an effort and expense worth every minute to help you give loved ones a gift from the heart.
"If you take me back a lot of days, back in the 90s, we can see there's been quite an increase over the years in the cost of flowers. Continuously, I'm trying to keep it that it can be something that people can have in their lives," Fowler said. "We have something at every price point, for everybody, whether it's a single rose or a three-dozen rose vase."
"I love it. I love it. I absolutely love it," said Mckay.
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Adam attended the NFL scouting combine with the Eagles for the past two years. It's one thing to be known as Andrew Berry's brother. But he's often confused for the Browns general manager. 'It's something to chuckle about and, look, it's an icebreaker,' Adam said. 'So any time someone confuses me for Andrew, I'm just like, 'No, wrong person. Happens all the time. But hey, I'm Adam.' Because you just never know where having relationships and forming relationships (start).' Their parents were deliberate about both forging their own identities. They were intentional about splitting up after high school in Bel Air, Md. — Adam to Princeton, Andrew to Harvard. Adam played offense, Andrew played defense. Adam once delivered a block on Andrew to help set up a game-winning touchdown. But those Ivy League games were like family reunions — just as Eagles-Browns meetings are now. After practices this week, their families mingled together. Adam played with Andrew's children. 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The difference was the public attention. Adam's career change has brought the twins even closer. They would trade work stories before. They live similar stories now. 'I think for him, it's been really cool to see things through someone who's coming into a new industry, and doing some of the things that he had done before he got to his position as well, too,' Adam said. 'And so it's just a really fun dynamic.' It mattered that Adam Berry wore Eagles gear at a football practice. It mattered that he stood outside in 88-degree heat in shorts and a T-shirt with a visor. His wife and children were in the crowd. So were his parents. He wore a suit every day at Goldman Sachs. He went to client dinners at night. It took about a year to find the rhythm at his new job, but there was joy in being around football and participating in office yoga sessions. Advertisement This new lifestyle, it turned out, was better for his young family. 'I promised him that he had this unfounded thought that he was going to be away from home even more than he was at Goldman,' Roseman said. 'And I told him his family would be way more involved.' So, yes, the hours are long. But his family attends camp practices and games on Sundays. The Berrys moved during the summer of 2023 and attended a welcome barbecue with the staff and families. There were tours of logistics for games. The Eagles helped facilitate the unknowns, from schools to restaurants to activities. 'One thing I felt was important is I felt like I could see already from my family in Cleveland that this is a whole family change, and the whole family gets to be involved,' Amber said. 'I saw a way for us to bridge the gap (from the Wall Street lifestyle). So while I knew there's going to be a lot of hours and travel and transition ahead, I also knew it's not Adam doing that. It's all of us together.' There's a reason why so many former college athletes, like Adam, pursue finance. It's an industry that can satiate a competitive spirit. But even the trading floor is outpaced by the NFL playoffs. 'Is there anything like this in trading?' a fellow Eagles executive asked Adam before the NFC Championship Game. 'No,' he responded. 'There's nothing like that.' Amplify that with a Super Bowl victory. 'I don't think that's something that's easily replicable,' Adam said. He's in his third season and ascended from director to vice president. Like Lurie suggested upon hiring Adam, his name could emerge on potential GM lists in the coming years. Wall Street provided a stable life. Football families are used to moving. There's always anxiety with job changes. But there's excitement about the possibilities, too. Advertisement 'It's still worth trying, because you'll never know unless you try,' Amber said. 'That mattered to us.' That approach was why Roseman wanted to hire him in the first place. Adam is equipped to make decisions. There were times in this process that were uncomfortable. But he assessed the risk and made the trade. 'Sometimes you don't necessarily think that certain opportunities may be available,' Adam said. 'And I think that it's just a lesson of just always trying to make sure that you think big.' (Top photo of Adam and Andrew Berry: Zach Berman / The Athletic) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
