Colleagues in Trouble
Friends, this post is going to seem silly at first, but it is actually heartfelt. There are so many individuals and businesses impacted by the two weeks and more of freak snowstorms in the mid-Atlantic states. Williamsburg had fewer inches but has actually been impacted longer as the first storm that disabled us missed our northern friends (who are paying for that luxury now with a much more severe set of storms, I'm afraid). I watched as Starbucks workers re-stocked almost an entire store this morning as they tried to meet their a.m. rush because supplies hadn't been trucked in for days.
Among the businesses "frozen" by these events, and particularly impacted by these storms are our local floral designers.
How the Year is Supposed to Work
If you're not familiar with the way a typical flower shop budgets its year, often times (like retail stores with Christmas) the bulk of non-event profit, which can be a huge portion of the gross annual income is related to the few flower-intensive holidays such as Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.
Florists spend the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day investing in marketing, ordering supplies and staffing for the crazy influx of business that lasts about a week around the holiday. I hardly have to say that many floral businesses were already struggling along with the rest of of with the economic tides.
Not Getting Much of a Break
Wave after wave of snow this season has prevented supply trucks from reaching floral & gift shops, and the lack of predictability has devastated consumer confidence locally and among those who otherwise would be ordering flowers from distant points for local loved ones.
Floral designers are part of the heart of the wedding industry. As colleagues and clients, I ask that you take extra time this holiday to keep in mind how many of our friends are hurting. It may seem like a vase of flowers and a box of chocolate is a minor thing, but those gifts add up, and there are families who eat because of the shops who sell them.
How to Help
If you can, make an extra effort to help them out. We don't know what the weather has in store for us this weekend, so maybe prepare your spouse or kids for a possible delay in delivery. Or pick up some flowers from a shop early and ensure that you don't miss Valentine's Day due to some silly snow. If you were going to send flowers but now aren't sure, go ahead and place that order and demonstrate your confidence in your local businesses.
And if you're reading this from a point outside of the mid-Atlantic, I encourage you to call a florist locally, place an order and let them know that you are flexible with your delivery time and that you appreciate what he or she is going through.
Happy Valentine's Day friends!
Shayna Walker, Williamsburg Wedding Design
Great post Shayna!!!! And so very true......
Posted by: Linnyette Richardson-Hall | February 11, 2010 at 03:22 PM
absolutely fantastic post! as an event design company with a floral boutique, it's already a tough year due to the economy, let alone Mother Nature's many gifts... luckily, most of our suppliers finally got their beautiful goods to us late this morning, but we're ready!
thank you for thinking of us!
Posted by: Melissa Paul | February 11, 2010 at 03:52 PM
@Linnyette: thank you!
@Melissa: thank you and good luck. I hope it turns into a great weekend with no.more.snow!
Posted by: Shayna | February 11, 2010 at 04:01 PM