Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest days of the year for florists, and the Flower Bar in Bozeman is no exception.
“Compared to last year, our preorders are up 40%,” Richelle Wood, the owner of the Flower Bar, said. “We’ve been starting Valentine’s Day planning since November, so it’s like a six-month project.”
Six months of planning the arrangements, gathering materials, and still, Wood says there will be plenty of people running in day-of to pick up some last-minute gifts.
Wood’s original step into the flower world began when she answered an ad to deliver flowers on Valentine’s Day for a local shop in Bozeman. From there, her passion grew into her own business, but that wasn’t without challenge.
A variety of industries have been impacted by not just the pandemic, but high gas prices, shipping delays, a labor shortage, natural disasters, weather, and more. Wood notes that the flower industry is not immune and is directly impacted by such events.
“There have been a lot of weather issues that are going on, there’s product shortages, so the cost of flowers has gone up—especially red roses,” Wood said.
She also noted that some items she ordered years ago are just making their way to the front door of the Flower Bar.
