Napier florist says Valentine’s Day sales are the biggest for years

Napier's Bloom Bouquets owner Rachel Harvey (front) with florists Hannah Insull (centre) and Jo Deitch. Photo / Paul Taylor

A Napier florist says Valentine’s Day flower sales have been the busiest she has seen in years.

Valentine’s Day has been something of a second-thought for many this year across Hawke’s Bay, as it coincides with the one-year anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle.

However, Bloom Bouquets, on Tennyson St in Napier CBD, florist Jo Deitch said there had been huge demand for flowers.

“It has been really busy, seemingly busier than it has been in prior years,” she said, of orders leading up to Wednesday.

“I think people are just getting behind it and in the spirit of it - so we have been very busy.”

Local florist shops were also busy on Wednesday morning as people made on-the-day purchases, including at Bloom Bouquets.

Deitch said the business had received orders to commemorate the Cyclone Gabrielle anniversary, which was nice to see, but most related to Valentine’s Day.

It has been particularly heartening this year for Hawke’s Bay florists like Bloom Bouquets, who got to see the ordered flowers go out and make people’s days.

Last year, Bloom Bouquets had just opened their store for Valentine’s Day and begun to send out a long list of orders, when the power went down and the magnitude of the cyclone’s damage to the region began to be realised.

Most of their flowers could not be delivered and ended up being given away, with insurance helping cover the losses.

The cyclone also ruined a lot of crops around the region, and Deitch said stocks had largely bounced back for flower suppliers a year on.

“It is pretty much back to normal, which has been really good, and we have been as much as possible supporting our local suppliers.”

Deitch said Valentine’s Day was the second-busiest day of their year, behind Mother’s Day.

She said sales had ranged across the board, including popular orders such as bouquets and flower boxes for loved ones.