Flower
shops bloom into Valentine’s Day
By Kristen Wooley
On-line Forty-Niner
 Whoever
said that Valentine’s Day was a girl’s holiday
was right. Flowers, candy, teddy bears and
cards are all a great bestowal to a girl’s
heart. Let’s face it, a girl’s heart can
get very expensive. But when Feb.
14 roles around, there is always a mad dash
to the flower shop for a last minute gift.
“Flowers are romantic. They are such a short-lived
item, something that only lives a few days.
They are extravagant. They are romantic,”
Nancy Boyd of the American Institute of
floral designer’s and floral designer for
Victor’s Flowers said. That’s why she believes
flowers should be given on Valentine’s Day.
The hottest item on the list is a dozen
roses, but they are also the priciest. At
Conroy’s flower shop on Seventh Street and
Bellflower Blvd., a dozen roses for the
week of Valentine’s Day will go for about
$80.
“What we usually do is call around to all
the flower stores. We kind of get an average
of what it is at all the other flower shops.
It’s a pretty standard price,” Allison Magat,
a floral expert at Conroy’s and a graduate
student at Cal State Long Beach, said.
Valentine’s Day is the busiest day for Conroy’s
and preparation starts at the beginning
of the week, Magat said. Last Saturday,
Conroy’s was selling a dozen roses for $9.99.
So how does the price go up so much?
When Valentine’s Day hits, the flower market,
where shops get their products, shoot up.
If there is a more competitive price in
the market, the shop will sell flowers for
cheaper, Magat said.
Los Amigos Flower Shop on Del Amo Blvd.
and Paramount Blvd., will be selling a dozen
roses for $48. They have other arrangements
for as low as $5. A family owned business,
Los Amigos Flower Shop has kept its prices
low by haggling the flower market.
When it comes time to buy, the owner badgers
the wholesaler to get the cheapest price
possible for the customer, George Barela,
a floral designer from Los amigos, said.
Victor’s Flowers on Lakewood Blvd. and South
Street visits a whole new realm in flower
sales. The price of a dozen roses on Valentine’s
Day is about $69.95, but Victor’s also sells
the same dozen, including a vase, online
for $49.95.
In today’s world, who wants to travel around
to a busy flower shop, when flowers can
be ordered online for a fraction of the
cost. At flowers.com, a bouquet of two dozen
long stem roses is selling for $79.99.
The web site promises that they are “passionate
about the finest roses so ‘they’ gather
the most beautiful varieties, add delicate
florals and greens, and ship them straight
from the grower, overnight and specially
packaged to ensure freshness.”
Most flower shops have more to offer than
just a blooming bud. Other gifts such as
chocolates, and love inspired balloons.
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