The days leading up to Mother’s Day have been busy for local flower shops in San Luis Obispo.
Lucy Matthews, manager of Idlewild Floral, said while in-store foot traffic is down this year, online sales are up.
“It has been very busy for our online sales,” said Matthews.
Idlewild Floral, located in downtown San Luis Obispo, sells dried and preserved flower bouquets and ships nationwide. Their most popular item is their mini bouquets.
Matthews said the shop has largely kept prices the same.
Matthews said gas prices are one reason behind the dip in foot traffic, but the shop found a workaround for local deliveries.
“We’ve been using DoorDash for probably a year and a half, I would say,” said Matthews.
At Albert’s Florist, a long-time community staple, local sales are also up this year. Owner Kert Heinke said business has been booming. On a typical day, the shop has one driver making deliveries across the region. In the days leading up to Mother’s Day, they have 3, including Heinke himself.
“It’s been very busy, way better than last year. Thankfully, we’re pretty grateful for all the orders,” said Heinke.
Albert’s Florist takes phone and online orders. When it comes to dealing with rising gas costs, Heinke said the shop is not passing those expenses on to customers.
“We’re taking it in stride like everybody else. We’re not going to gouge customers for that,” said Heinke. “We’re just going to ride it out. We know it’s going to fluctuate.”
Both shops said they are expecting even more orders in the coming days.