Valentine's Day a Labor of Love for Lemont Florists

It's Valentine's Day, the biggest day of the year for the floral industry, and local florists have been working tirelessly for days to prepare.

According to the National Retail Federation's 2012 Valentine's Day survey, U.S. consumers will spend about $1.8 billion on flowers this year. The average person will shell out $126—an 8.5-percent increase from 2011.

On Monday afternoon, Patch stopped by four Lemont flower shops to get the scoop on their Valentine's Day specials and how owners have been getting ready for the big day.

At Lange's Woodland Flowers, 219 Main St., owner Nancy Eriksen and her crew have been working since the weekend to prepare hundreds of arrangements for delivery and in-store pickup.

"We started our deliveries already, and we'll have two extra drivers to help out tomorrow," Eriksen said Monday. "Valentine's Day and Mother's Day are usually our two biggest days, so we do everything we can to prepare for the rush."

Lange's offers floral options for a variety of Valentine's Day shoppers, whether they're shopping for their significant others or friends and family members. On Monday afternoon, a Lemont man stopped by to order flowers for his son's girlfriend.

"We get a lot of calls in the days leading up to Valentine's Day, but there are plenty of people who will come in Tuesday afternoon, so we have arrangements ready for pickup, too," Eriksen said. "We're here to help as much as we can."

At , 315 Illinois St., owner Krystyna Daszynski was cool, calm and collected as she prepared for the Valentine's rush. She prepared many of the arrangements over the weekend, and hired extra drivers to make deliveries Monday and Tuesday.

"It's our biggest day of the year, but I'm organized and ready," she said.

Daszynski said her shop is fully stocked with a variety of roses and carnations, as well as cards, stuffed animals and balloons.

"Red roses are the most popular," she said. "They're traditional, but women always love them."

At , 435 Talcott Ave., owner Viviana Grasso was busy creating unique, romantic arrangements for her clients. Although she stocked up on roses and plenty of red and pink, she also focused on lush greens, tulips and orchids.

"I like to do something a little bit different that's still very beautiful and warm," she said.

Many of Grasso's clients will just call and ask her to create something in her price range, she said.

"I try to educate the men who call and get them the most bang for their buck," she said.

Unfortunately, Valentine's Day doesn't always supply the highest-quality flowers to work with. According to Grasso, the holiday demand forces growers to rush the plants and cut the flowers too soon.

"It's sometimes a struggle, but we do what we can to put together the most beautiful arrangements and make them last as long as possible," she said.

Still need to pick up a Valentine's Day bouquet? It's not too late!

• : 315 E. Illinois St. (630-243-9935)

• : 1138 State St. (630-257-0339)

• , 219 Main St. (630-257-5065)

• : 435 Talcott Ave. (630-243-9430)

• , 1202 State St. (630-243-1925)

• , 1100 State St. (630-257-5959)

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