Thursday is not only Thanksgiving, it's my Dad's birthday. My sisters will be there, and one of my sister's family. I LOVE flowers and how they connect people and want to be 'in the room' even though I can't be with them. Soooo... am sending a centerpiece.
My favorite florist there, who I knew my folks, and knew me, isn't doing retail/daily orders any more - just events. I was curious about the florists in the area, so did an internet search.
There were 2 florists who had ads that I didn't recognize, so went to their websites, and after some digging, couldn't find anything that would locate them as a local florist. I realized how easy it is for people looking for a local florist not to find them!
Sending flowers to people in other locations can be tricky these days. There are digital marketing companies who 'pose' as local florists, and don't actually touch flowers. Here's my story and a few tips to navigate those searches.
- is there a physical address on their website?
- is there a local phone number, not just an 800#?
- are there images of their actual designs or just stock images from FTD or Teleflora or some other entity?
- are all of the pictures 'perfect' ? signs of a huge company with a huge marketing budget
- check out their social media - how does it feel, are there personal comments or pictures?
Stay smart ... and if you'd rather not do all this research, place the order with us, and we'll support you and do the legwork for you! We have vetted florist partners in many cities already and if we don't, we interview them to make sure you'll get the same special care that you would receive here.
And the rest of my story? I went with one of the florists whose name I recognized, and whose website did have all these things, and when I called to check on their ability and flowers, got someone who went to my high school and knows my parents! I showed her some designs from our website and she sent me a couple pictures. I can't wait to see how it turns out!
