Preparing Your Floral Business for Mother's Day
Marcie Meredith Photography
Second only to Valentine’s Day in the floral industry is—yes, you guessed it—Mother’s Day! A day to acknowledge and celebrate both the joys and hardships motherhood brings with it.
With the current state of things in the world, you may have a lot of questions about what this holiday looks like this year for the floral industry. We’ve pooled our resources to help you find success—and we hope that after reading this article, you feel both prepared and empowered to keep loving the world through flowers!
Can I Operate My Flower Business—And If So, In What Manner Am I Able to Operate?
You’ll need to determine what ways are appropriate for you to operate as a small business before you initiate your Mother’s Day business plans. SAF has compiled a state-by-state directory with this information. It’s a good place to start when understanding if and how you should move forward.
They have also compiled an entire mini site of COVID-19 specific resources for our industry. It’s an incredible resource, and we are so grateful for their contributions during this time.
Sourcing: Where Can I Get Floral Supplies Right Now?
This is by far the most questionable aspect of the industry currently. Thankfully, the earth has not gotten the memo for “shutting down,” and flowers are still growing and blooming all over the world. In addition, there are hardworking companies producing hardgoods for you and your business!
So, yes! You can get flowers.
Wholesale Hardgoods: Here’s Where to Find Them in Time For Mother’s Day
Each of these incredible companies work hard to provide the best quality products possible. They’re taking the necessary steps to maintain cleanliness and safety so that they can continue to offer the items you need.
Accent Decor
Accent Decor is one of the leading companies in the floral industry providing and creating compotes, planters, urns, votives, and so much more. Careful thought and intention goes into each selection, as the family behind Accent Decor searches the globe and curates their seasonal offerings. They have a wide selection of inventory available in their Atlanta storehouse for immediate shipping.
46 & Spruce
As an online hardgoods supply company, 46 & Spruce offers an easily accessible selection of floral supplies, event decor, centerpieces, etc.—any of which would be a great addition to your collection. Check out their collections from Holly Chapple and Farmgirl Flowers!
Marcie Meredith Photography
Flowers: A Short List of Wholesale Flower Options for Mother’s Day Floral Supplies
You’re not the only one looking for blooms right now, but as mentioned before, the earth is plentiful! We’ve compiled a list of resources for you below.
This Year, Think Local with Flower Farms
We highly encourage you to be in touch with your local growers to see what they will have to offer. Then, curate your arrangements based on what is available to you. If you don’t know of a flower farm near you, you can check out the Team Flower Directory to search amongst Team Flower Members, the Slow Flowers Directory, the Local Flowers Directory by ASCFG or the Floret Flowers Directory.
National Shipping—We’re Grateful for Those Who Are Open to Ship Wholesale Flowers!
Here’s a short list of wholesale resources. If you have additional recommendations, contact us via the red chat button and let us know!
American Grown is working hard to maintain a current list of certified American Grown flower farms still open for business. Click here to see what might be available near you!
DV Flora is a wholesaler who has been providing wholesale flowers and floral supplies, sourced both from around the world (as well as Certified American Grown!) to professional retail florists and event designers for 60 years. They are still providing blooms to their customers.
Mayesh is a well-known American wholesale distributor with distribution centers in multiple states. Though many of the branches are currently closed, the Los Angeles distributor remains open for business and the company has announced a national shipping solution. Be sure to follow along with their blog often to stay up to date with what’s happening within the company.
Florabundance is a direct nationwide shipper of wholesale fresh cut flowers, foliages, garlands, wreaths, and even bouquets for florists, wedding flower designers, floral designers, special event companies, and other professionals in the floral business. They are currently still shipping overnight via FedEx Priority. Visit the Florabundance website for updated information and ordering.
PetalDriven ships flowers and supplies to floral designers (and DIYers!) all over the United States. They work hard to source their blooms directly from the farm and get them into the hands of their consumers.
Lastly, Kelly Shore from The Floral Source (a fellow Team Flower Member) has been working to keep an updated news page to aid designers in sourcing during this time. Bookmark it!
Marcie Meredith Photography
While we’ve worked to get you the resources you need, know that the list above is certainly not exhaustive!
Most wholesalers are planning to be open for Mother’s Day, so be in touch with your local wholesaler and communicate with them about your Mother’s Day needs as soon as you’re able (at least two weeks in advance—especially if you’re requesting novelty items). If you have an established relationship with them and are struggling with cash-flow, ask about a payment plan or credit option. The key here is for you to be adaptable and flexible—two essential qualities for a floral designer, especially today.
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there for this upcoming holiday! Let’s celebrate motherhood and honor those in our community who have loved and raised us. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out by clicking the red chat button in the bottom right corner.
