RICHMOND, Va. — Supply chain issues brought on by the pandemic have hit just about every business sector of the economy. Now with Valentine's Day around the corner, there are growing concerns about a shortage of flowers.
However, one Richmond flower market has good news for those looking for a special arrangement or bouquet: they have plenty of flowers available.
Sunday afternoon, florists at Vogue Flowers in Scott's Addition were hard at work putting together arrangements and gearing up for a busy week.
“Business has been wonderful," said the company's president, Steve Papoulakos. “We have had no issues getting the flowers, the quantities, or the quality.”
As some flower markets across the country are feeling the crunch of a thorny supply chain, Papoulakos said shipments are arriving almost every day at Vogue. They're coming from various parts of the globe including California, Columbia, Ecuador, and Holland.
“We got over 1500 boxes yesterday of flowers," he said.
Currently, industry experts say there's a global shortage of flowers because:
- Farmers didn't plant as much during the pandemic
- Poor conditions in growing areas
- Labor shortages
- Rising costs of supplies
- Delays in shipments
Papoulakos said he was able to avoid those challenges by planning well in advance and importing flowers directly from farmers.
"We've been doing this for 35 years now," he said. "We've got excellent relationships with the farms.”
Additionally, the team at Vogue has learned what works and what doesn't throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Sometimes we would duplicate the same order," Papoulakos said. "Sometimes we add things or if something didn't work out, we delete.”
However, there are a few supply chain issues the business is dealing with. Glassware and manufactured goods from China have been harder to find, so the price of those items have increased. Papoulakos said costs of flowers will remain steady despite higher transportation fees.
"We have absorbed those costs," he said. “We're looking forward to a good Valentine's week and encourage everyone to get out and buy some flowers.”
