Inside the converted warehouse space in the back of Expressions Floral in Gilroy earlier this week were nearly a dozen florists and designers in all stages—from unpacking and sorting just-arrived boxes of flowers to cleaning stems and leaves off the floor—of creating custom bouquets for the annual Valentine’s Day rush.
In two walk-in coolers—one reserved for the company’s wholesale supply—buckets of sorted fresh flowers filled storage shelves up to the ceiling, while florists rushed in and out retrieving items to sort and arrange. In the front of the store, staff were just as busy on the phones and desktops, taking holiday orders and following up with clients.
Valentine’s Day is Feb. 14, and Expressions Floral’s longtime owner Lisa Filice—a veteran of the floral industry—knows what to expect. By Tuesday, the shop had already received more orders than Filice could quickly estimate during an interview at the Muraoka Drive shop that morning.
“Every year we have more and more customers,” Filice said. “Our customer base has increased every year, so we’re just continuing to help our existing customers and help new people find us.”
With Valentine’s Day on Saturday and President’s Day bookending the holiday weekend, Filice said her shop has been encouraging customers to opt for Friday deliveries for their special someone.
While classic red roses remain a top seller, Expressions Floral brings a variety. Filice was expecting shipments of purple, toffee and barista roses before Feb. 14.
Anyone still shopping for gifts for their Valentine is also encouraged to avoid big-box online distributors that shell out for the top results in online searches, Filice added. While those companies often obtain individual orders from local flower retailers, they do not offer traditional customer service and tend to make mistakes.
When searching for a florist online, Filice encourages consumers to scroll down a little more “and make sure somebody is a local brick and mortar” before ordering.
This year, spending for Valentine’s Day in the U.S. is projected to reach a record of $29.1 billion, with 55% of consumers celebrating and spending an average of $199.78 per person. Key spending areas include candy (56%), flowers (41%), and greeting cards (41%), while jewelry leads in total expenditure at $7 billion. More than half of consumers plan to celebrate, with significant others receiving the most gifts.
For many florists, especially Expressions Floral, Valentine’s Day is just one day in a busy year-round industry. Filice said a major portion of her business is weddings, which Expressions did about 300 of last year.
The company also runs a robust wholesale branch, supplying flowers to smaller shops in many locations, Filice added.
The shop and its staff of about 25 also coordinate and participate throughout the year in numerous community outreach efforts, Expressions Floral Social Media Manager Michelle Schultz said. They have welcomed scout groups for tours of their operations and led floral design classes at a variety of venues.
