The owner of The Tuscan Rose said flower prices have gone up about 20 percent.
SAN ANTONIO — Time is running out to grab a last minute gift for Valentine’s Day, and if your plan is to pick up a bouquet of flowers it might cost you a little bit more than last year.
Florists at The Tuscan Rose worked around the clock on Monday to fulfill more than 500 Valentine orders for pickup and delivery.
“Customers are so love with the idea of giving their spouse or girlfriend something beautiful,” said Jessica Huisman, owner.
Huisman said it’s that love that is continuing to keep her business in operation as prices rise due to inflation.
“The only way [we] stay afloat and make a profit is by raising our prices [in turn],” said Huisman.
She said the price of flowers has gone up about 20 percent and that the cost of a single stem rose is $3, up about a dollar from previous years. Still, her company is fulfilling about the same number of flower orders as last Valentine’s Day.
“I think some people are surprised when they come in and the price of their arrangement has gone up. A lot of them are not getting what they normally get for the same amount of money,” she said.
Her staff educates customers on how the market is going, what flowers costs at the wholesaler and the shut downs at farms where the flowers are grown. They also try to provide solutions to keep the sales going.
“We do wrap bouquets that are more budget friendly or we can do a smaller arrangement,” Huisman said.
For a little more, customers can buy what’s called Forever Roses. Those roses are dehydrated then rehydrated with glycerin and preserved to last. No more buying flowers!
“It’s a good solution because you get more for your money.”
