Large family gatherings, brunches at local restaurants, crowded celebrations – these are all verboten on Mother’s Day during a pandemic.
But giving flowers is still okay.
And one Richmond florist is gearing up for her second busiest day of the year, Mother’s Day, coming up this Sunday, second only to Valentine’s Day.
Candy Wong, who has owned Florist on Fifth for 12 years, said her customers come on Mother’s Day to get flowers not only for their mothers, but also for their wives, mothers-in-law and sometimes even small roses for their daughters.
This year, orders are piling in as people still want to recognize the mothers in their lives even if they can’t take them out to do traditional things.
“Even if they can’t gather, they can leave flowers at the door – they want to do something,” Wong said.
The most popular flowers on Mother’s Day are usually hanging baskets and indoor orchids, but there will be lots of pre-made flower arrangements, easy to pick up quickly so customers don’t have to mill about unnecessarily, Wong explained.
“In this situation, we still remember mom (even though) we skip the gathering,” Wong said.
Wong said she is “blessed” to still be in business and has put in place protocols to protect her staff and her customers, from cleaning all cash with Dettol to restricting who can go inside the shop and moving most of her flowers outside.
But the supply of flowers is tight this year as some greenhouses are shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this has driven up prices, Wong explained.
While there is a global pandemic, Wong said “life can’t stop” and businesses need to adapt to a new reality and figure out how to keep going under new circumstances.
She is impressed how disciplined her customers are, following orders to physically distance from others, in what she calls “difficult times.”
Wong said she will be setting up early on Sunday for Mother’s Day with her shop opening at 8 a.m.
