Waukesha Florist Advises To Shop Local This Valentine's Day

WAUKESHA, WI—Cammy Mantanona, owner of Flowers by Cammy at 2120 E. Moreland Blvd., encourages residents to patronize local florists this Valentine's Day.

Mantanona has owned her own floral and gift store in Waukesha for 14 years and noticed a decrease in the number of open floral stores. Florists are being hit hard by the pandemic because of canceled weddings, proms and even funerals.

The pandemic continues affecting the floral business at every turn. "It is always a new surprise of how," Mantanona said.

One surprise for the business owner is on the supply end. Suppliers are backed up supplying vases. "We really had to scramble to get our red, pink, purple vases ordered early so we could have them available for Valentine's Day," she said.

The reason? Suppliers weren't pre-booking orders, or manufacturers laid people off for a period of time.

Another issue is that large or national distribution companies are taking business away from local florists. “It is because of order gatherers; for example, 1-800-Flowers,” she told Patch.

Mantanona said such places have a large online presence, and some even pose as if they are in the same community. The big conglomerates beat out local stores on advertising expenses to get higher Google rankings.

“They tell people they send those orders to local florists. We (local stores) are usually losing 30 percent off of each of those orders if we take them from an order gatherer,” Mantanona said.

The benefit for customers to shop local is personalized service, she said. "You are going to get the personal attention to your order and better value and quality of flowers," she added.

As a local florist, Mantanona gets to know her customers and learn their likes and dislikes. She can let customers know what flowers are looking better at this time of year and give a better value for their arrangements.

"A lot of times people don't see that when they go to order gatherers," she said. "They see lower price points, and when they get to the end of the order there is usually a $15-$20 fee."

Flowers by Cammy also offers online ordering, but if a customer needs substitutions, a staff member can call the customer directly. Mantanona said she can tell a customer what flowers would go better in an arrangement.

Helping each other

Besides flower arrangements, the store also offers plants, home decor, gourmet and fruit baskets, candles, balloons and stuffed animals. Her customers will ask for many of those items to go along with the flowers.

Mantanona said more customers are requesting bright and cheerful flowers in an effort to bring positivity. "So many people are going through a hard time and being confined to their homes or limiting their lifestyle," she said.

The store can also deliver to hospitals and nursing homes. "This has been a great lifeline for someone who can't visit a family member in the hospital," Mantanona said.

Mantanona tries to find the good in a difficult situation. One thing she has found is people are aware of the shop local movement. In her industry, there is an unspoken rule of supporting other florists. If a person orders flowers for another state, she provides the customer with reputable florists there.

"We are all just helping each other," she said.

For more information on Flowers by Cammy visit the shop's website.