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“It’s not as tense,” he said while surrounded by flowers at his Stamford Florist business at 625 Bedford St. “There, (Valentine’s) it’s one day and everything has to be ready for 5 p.m.,” he said.
“Mother’s Day, people come Thursday, Friday, Saturday and on Sunday, so it’s a little more stretched out.”
Ferraro, 57, has been in business for 37 years. It was through it that he met his wife, Greer. She was a flower wholesaler who he purchased flowers from.
Roses are always a popular choice for Mother's Day, he said, but customers aren’t afraid to be a little adventurous and sometimes pick out other flowers for mom such as orchids, peonies and lilacs, for example.
This year, the supply of flowers is tighter, Ferraro said, which he attributes to the calendar. Easter and Passover were only a few weeks ago, leading to a greater demand for flowers in a compressed time period, he said.
Also, other larger businesses such as grocery store chains come in and swoop up a large part of the supply, making it occasionally difficult for independents like him, he said.
Margaret Cluceru is so busy at Nobu Florist at 135 Main St. that she rarely has time to look up from the flowers she is preparing for a customer.
She has noticed a couple of trends when it comes to Mother's Day selections.
“People are spending more and there is a lot of mixed,” she said, referring to different flowers mixed together in one bouquet.
She and her husband Valentin (Val) have operated the business for 23 years. Val said he has noticed a trend among customers.
“They want better flowers. The flowers should be much more interesting and more expensive. They should be more high-end flowers,” he said. “They want exotic flowers. I think it’s wonderful, they think of their mothers as being worth the money.”
Mother’s Day is one of their biggest selling periods, even more so he believes than Valentine’s Day, he said.
“Not everybody has a lover but everybody has a mother, even if they are not alive they will go to the cemetery with a cone of flowers,” he said.
Other businesses are trying to cut in and grab some of the Mother’s Day trade, Ferraro said. However, he said, there is nothing like giving your mother flowers on Mother’s Day.
“Is your mom tired of flowers? No,” he said emphatically. “We make your mom smile.”
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