Florist ready for rush

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Feb 9, 2004 by Brandy Nance Capital-Journal

Valentine's Day is one of the busiest times of year, not only for countless shoppers trying to find that perfect gift, but for florists. Cliff Wright, co-owner of University Flowers, 1700 S.W. Washburn Ave., is gearing up for the rush. University Flowers goes through 10,000 full-sized and miniature roses during the Valentine's season, Wright said.

What are your main challenges during Valentines Day?

Trying to get all the orders ready to go out on that one day. When you only have a certain amount of square footage, it gets challenging. The cooler is packed, the back room is packed, every counter, the whole sales floor is full.

The other challenge is that I don't let the roses come out of the water before the day that I am arranging them. I want them to be the freshest longest. A lot of shops have their arrangements made days ahead of time. You have to be careful to not get something that has been in a warehouse for a week. I always order the best quality. At Valentine's Day I order the longest red roses I can get my hands on. It's the one time my roses can stand out. I want mine to be the tallest, prettiest roses there.

Valentine's Day falls on Saturday. How will that affect business?

I think it's going to be great. People can get flowers on Friday and they can get them on Saturday. The ones that get them on Friday can warn the guys that forget.

How do you know how many flowers to order for Valentine's Day?

It's a challenge. You have to order the right amount of flowers because if you don't order enough, people get mad ... but if you order too many, your profits go away. So you have to be able to calculate as close as you can to get the right amount of flowers to get through the holiday because the flowers are twice as expensive for us as they are the rest of the year. An advantage of having our wholesaler here in Topeka is that if I do run out, they will hot shot me some more flowers. They really spoil us.

What are some of your biggest stressors during Valentine's Day and other events that come up?

Valentine's Day reminds me of being a boss. I love not having a boss and I love not being a boss. Valentine's Day is just that odd bird where I have to be a boss.

How much does business increase during Valentine's Day?

I do more business during Valentine's Day than I do in the entire month of December. February is equal to most any two months.

What advice do you have for customers during the Valentine's Day rush?

Order ahead to guarantee delivery. If you don't order ahead, people will get to stand in line. It becomes such a zoo in here that we back them out the doors. And don't buy your flowers where you get your dog food.

What would you consider your secret to success with University Flowers?

It's also our faithful customers. They are really good about spreading the word about us so that we don't have to buy a bunch of advertising.

We love the flowers, that's a big part of it. The quality that we put out is a big part of what keeps people coming back. Our supplier, Stuppy Wholesalers, is right here in town and when we need extra flowers, they are right here. Their cooler is my cooler. I love having them in my back yard. We can have our flowers in 10 minutes.

CLIFF WRIGHT, UNIVERSITY FLOWERS

Occupation: Co-owner with Steve Gleason of University Flowers.

Employment history: Worked as night manager at 7-Up before opening flower shop.

University Flowers: 1700 S.W. Washburn Ave., (785) 232-4012 or (800) 262-5681, www.University-Flowers.com.

Services offered: Fresh and silk flower arrangements, plush animals and balloons, local and national delivery, green and blooming plants.

Number of employees: Four

Opening date: April 1, 1991; in current location for four years