Pittsburgh-area florist keeping costs affordable for Valentine's Day shoppers
ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — Valentine's Day is this Friday, and if you're like many people, buying gifts is on the top of your list.
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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