Business blooms for Eufaula florists

Tonya Ward of The Flower Hut says there are two kinds of people her customers don’t want to disappoint - their moms and their girlfriends.
No wonder Mother’s and Valentine’s Day are The Flower Hut’s two busiest days of the year.
But day to day business at the Eufaula store has slowed down a bit, she admits.
“Most people have a mother,” she says. “But birthdays, anniversaries … that type of flower has slowed down.”
As with most economic stagnation these days, local florists’ woes can be traced back to steep fuel prices.
High-priced gasoline has forced many florists to change their ways, like using delivery vans less often.
“We don’t even use our vans unless we have a wedding or a big funeral,” says The Flower Hut’s Lori Renfroe.
To make local deliveries, Ward and Renfroe use their more fuel efficient Nissan Pathfinder which gets 20 miles a gallon compared to their vans’ 14 miles a gallon.
“It’s good. It does carry a lot of things and the gas is so much cheaper,” says Renfroe.
Another change at The Flower Hut is the $3-4 delivery charge. Ward says when gas prices recently started skyrocketing, her shop had no choice but to start charging a delivery fee.
And it’s not just covering the costs of their vans that’s made The Hut up their prices. The shop’s flowers come from Miami, Fla. and every time they go from stop to stop (and transportation uses more and more fuel to get them to their destination), the flowers’ prices increase.
“It all drops down to us,” says Ward.
Ward even expects silk flowers shipped to her store to increase soon 30 - 40 percent. In fact, The Hut ordered its Christmas silk flowers right after Mother’s Day before the price went up.
Mary Williams of Ferrell’s Flowers is also charging a delivery fee these days to cover the costs of her three vans.
Her vans are 2000 models and get about 15-18 miles per gallon, she says.
Ferrell’s is also making less delivery trips, grouping deliveries together so that the shop generally makes one morning run and one afternoon run. Williams adds that she and her co-workers car pool whenever possible to cut down on personal expenses.
“People are shopping a lot more carefully,” she says. “Flowers have almost always been a luxury item.”
Janice Bush of Eufaula Florist has bought a newer model van to make the most of expensive gasoline. The new van, a Chevy Astro, can get 25 miles a gallon compared to her two Dodge vans which got much less.
Bush also charges a $6 in town delivery fee and has been forced to cut out deliveries to places like Midway. She and her co-workers also take good care of their flowers, treating and retreating them, to preserve them as long as they can.
Eufaula Florist also buys smaller amounts of flowers from the flower dealer who visits them because the dealer charges a $50 surcharge.
Though Eufaula florists have had to change with the rising gas prices, all of them say that their customers’ loyalty hasn’t changed.
Though some of her customers come by the shop to pick up their flowers, Bush says many still insist on having them delivered to relatives and loved ones.
“Some people like to see the expression on people’s faces (when they get a bouquet), but some like for the florist to hand it to them,” says Bush.
“I’ve spoiled my customers,” chuckles Williams. “And they still want me to deliver.”
Ward agrees that despite higher prices, she hasn’t heard a grumble out of her customers.