Small, Local Florists Finding Ways to Flourish Amid the Pandemic (Psst, Mother’s Day Is Tomorrow)

As the North Coast contends with the perils of the pandemic, our community has been forced to alter the way we live, how we feed our families, and how we interact with those around us. Redheaded Blackbelt wants to celebrate the resiliency of those individuals, businesses, and organizations that are weathering the storm. In our “Weathering the Storm” series, we will tell the stories of our community meeting the moment and learning to thrive in the face of adversity.

Floral bouquet from Tranquility Lane in Garberville.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The world laughs in flowers” but, as the North Coast grappled with COVID-19, florists were not laughing, they feared their business would shutter. We spoke with local florists, as Mother’s Day, normally their biggest day of the year, approaches, about how they have adapted and even blossomed in the face of an unprecedented pandemic.

Two florists, one in Mendocino County and one in Humboldt County, with innovation and the support of their communities, are finding a way forward.

Gina Weaver is Gina’s Floral Enhancement shows off her lilies and snapdragons. [Photo provided by Gina Weaver]

However, almost two months into pandemic protocols, Weaver has been able to “absorb the blow.” Gina’s Floral Enhancement is based in Weaver’s home.“There is no store so we’re able to naturally socially distance.” With more than a year before the 2021 Summer Wedding season, Weaver said she was “completely booked for next summer” because of “understanding brides who rescheduled their weddings.”

The pandemic also created a new income engine for Weaver: flower subscriptions. She described how “a gentleman purchased a year’s worth of flowers for his wife. Now they’ll get a bouquet delivered to their home monthly.” This model “caught wind” among Weaver’s neighbors and now she’s fulfilling several monthly subscriptions.

Weaver said, “The most amazing thing I’ve seen is Mother’s Day. I’ve had a 30% increase in sales compared to last year.” She described how “it is amazing how much the community is coming out to support local business.” Deliveries for birthdays and anniversaries have also dramatically increased, Weaver said.

Further north, in Garberville, Donna Lovato has been running her floral stand “Tranquility Lane” since 1990. She remembered that “for the first 15 years we were a flower cart and for 15 years we’ve been a flower shop.”

Just eight days before she closed her doors to follow Stay-at-Home orders, Donna Lovato holds one of her creations in this photo she posted on Tranquility Lane’s Facebook page.

On March 17, Lovato closed the shop “out of a lot of fear.” She said, “All four of us that work here and my husband who helps out sometimes are in the danger zone” meaning vulnerable to COVID-19. She described the sense that “all of my customers were afraid.”

Lovato could not run her shop while maintaining social distancing protocols. “I couldn’t see how to operate while maintaining safety,” she explained. My shop is 20’x20’.” As foot traffic dwindled and orders dissipated, Lovato feared “operating at a loss” so they chose to close the shop.

Lovato made the decision to “let it all go” and focus on her home life. Because she felt it was not profitable to “operate from home for a couple of orders,” Lovato and her husband began cultivating “our farm at home.” She explained, “We’re planting a large field of flowers. We feel really excited and hopeful. We’ve installed our water system and plowed the field.

With Mother’s Day approaching, Lovato wondered if her customer base would be interested in ordering some arrangements: “Last Friday I put a question on Facebook and [Instagram] wondering if anyone would like to order something for Mother’s Day.” Lovato was astonished when, “in 24 hours, I was sold out.”

When we spoke with Lovato, she was working at the flower stand, maintaining social distance, and fulfilling the rush of Mother’s Day orders. She mused about the circularity of her life thus far: “Before the flower stand, we farmed and now we’ve returned to the farm. We’re planting a large field of flowers, it’s going to be a long time till I’m on my feet again. [But] we feel really excited and hopeful.”

If you have a story of resiliency and strength in the face of the pandemic, please email me at [email protected] to share.