Online sales coming up roses for local flower shops

When Elizabeth Young's floral emporium on Richmond Roadwas declared a non-essential workplaceback in March, she laid off her staff, locked the doorand moved her business online.

Things have been coming up roses ever since.

"I found out that I was able to run off of e-commerce." said Young, owner of Flowers Talk Tivoli. "I was able to take orders over the phone andoff my website."

We're sold out of flowers for Mother's Day. I've maxed out.- Elizabeth Young, Flowers Talk Tivoli

Not only did Young keep her loyal customers by offering curbside pickup, she also found new ones throughInstagram and Facebook. Now, with Mother's Day fast approaching, she's even brought back some of her employees to help with the rush.

"We're sold out of flowers for Mother's Day. I've maxed out."

Young said the pandemic has resulted in an unexpected boom for manylocal florists, as people who can't visit loved ones in person are sending a bouquet instead.

"I feel like we're a lifeline for people," Young said.

Online sales picking up the slack

At the family-owned Beaudry Flowers at Ottawa'sTrainyards, they've also had to adapt their business to the times, offering a drive-thru flower stand and bringing in a tractor-trailer to store orders.

As they rush to fill orders,Marlon Oneid said the shop has taken great pains to make sure employees keep a safe distance from one another.

Longstanding contracts with local funeral homes have helped anchor the 30-year-old business, but online sales have been booming since the pandemic struck.

"Our online business has grown by 1,000 per cent," Oneid said."Our online sales are picking up the slack for retail pickup, so we're going to have the same level of work."

AtWild Willy's Plants &Flowers in WellingtonVillage, owner Vanessa Bishop is working overtime to fill orders.

Bishop was alsoforced to lay off most of her staffwhen the store closed, but loyal customers have kept the shop afloat with orders for curbside pickup.She and her partner work to fill those ordersduring the day while another employeetakes over the night shift.

Despite their hard work, Bishop expects sales to dip by at least 30 per cent this Mother's Day compared to last, largely due to the loss of those all-important last-minute shoppers.

"I'll usually have at least 100 walk-ins, which I'm not going to have this year," she said.

Now that garden centres have been allowed to welcome back customers, Bishop said she's looking for clearer direction from the city and province about when she can do the same.