PITTSTON, Pa. — The flower business this time of year is far from relaxing, and the floral designers here at Petals Fleurs in Pittston don't want it to be. They're all in agreement on their favorite part of the spring season.
"The hustle and bustle – I love it," said owner Natalie Kearney.
"I feel like I work better under pressure," said designer Alysssa Caridi.
And the pressure is on all week to get those last-minute Mother's Day orders ready for pick-ups and deliveries. You won't find any "grab and go" flowers inside the shop; everything's custom-made.
They say the best gifts are the ones you'd give yourself.
"I have two little boys at home, and if they came to me and I knew that they called somewhere and said, 'I want something specific for my mom, she likes pink, she likes gold,' it would just mean so much more to me than something that was just picked out of a cooler," Kearney said.
For Petals Fleurs, Mother's Day 2020 brought in a huge influx of customers.
"So many people could not visit their families and their mothers, so the best thing to do was to send them flowers. So we were doing drop-and-go deliveries," Kearney said.
Those customers stuck around.
The pandemic also inspired a career change for Bella Carter, who went from Petals customer to employee.
"When I was in high school, I worked at a local grocery store. And I had someone kind of just teach me the ropes and the basics, and that's where my passion started."
Good thing they're passionate because this gig requires a lot of long hours, especially this time of year.
"Formals, weddings, dance recitals, so we have a lot coming up," said designer Jamie Manning.
Last-minute gift-getters can order Mother's Day floral arrangements for pick-up through Saturday.
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