BIZ BUZZ • BY TEIGHLER DOAK
If you’re looking to have a couple beers where do you go? Roscoe’s? The Olive Lounge? Here’s one I bet you wouldn’t guess — the local florist. From February 6 through February 11, Park Florist will be serving brews to local lovers as an incentive for “Operation Valentine.”
Jeanne Ha, the owner of the Park Florist, designed Operation Valentine to help men of all ages and relationship statuses find the perfect gift, especially flowers, for their special someone. While the event is targeted for men, women are also welcome.
“I get a lot of clueless guys,” said Ha. “Operation Valentine allows us to help guys get the right Valentines gift. We try to make it easy for them and in return, it’s less stressful for us.”
During Operation Valentine, Park Florist will be in an open house setting, with five or more designs on display. The designs will correlate to different manifestations of love.
“We’ll have displays that can relate to all different levels of a relationship. The displays will range from ‘a little more than friends’ to ‘you’re my dream girl,’ said Ha.”
The floral displays will feature an array of different flowers and arrangements to match the customers’ emotions towards their specific valentines.
“I’ve pre-booked more than 1,500 roses,” said Ha. “For married couples we’ll use local flowers — they cost more, but they’re better for the environment. We also use flowers from California, Washington and New Jersey to make the designs more eccentric.”
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Ha chose to hold the event the whole week before Valentines Day to prevent men from procrastinating to the last minute to get a gift. The extended time frame also gives Ha and her staff the ability to spend more one-on-one time with their customers.
“We have to plan the event in advance because it’s hard to get the orders in and if they come in late I can’t customize them.” Ha also explained, “With the whole week before Valentines day, my staff and I can help each customer pick out the right design and the guys can customize their gifts with personal messages.
Along with the plethora of floral displays, Ha and her staff will be putting out beer, cheese and crackers to encourage men to enjoy the holiday as much as the women and men that they love.
“I don’t want (men) to feel stressed,” said Ha, “I want guys to enjoy the holiday as well. My staff and I will be putting out beer, cheese and crackers to help them relax while they make their gift decisions.”
To Ha, Valentines Day has more importance than being a florist’s biggest day financially: it’s also her favorite of all holidays.
“I think it’s the most wonderful holiday because it symbolizes love — friendship-wise and romantically,” said Ha. “Also, there’s no religious controversy.”
Park Florist is located at 6921 Laurel Ave. Takoma Park, MD. The store is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The store is also open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wonderful article. No procrastination for me!
Good article Teigh!
Great article Teigh! Puts a different spin on buying flowers! What man couldn’t resist having a beer while buying his favorite girl some flowers! It would certainly entice some men in our family!