Valentine’s Flowers: Why Local Michigan Florists Are Key

Keep your Valentine's Day local with Michigan flower shops.

With Americans expected to spend nearly $2.5 million on flower arrangements this Valentine's Day, do you know who your dollars are going to?

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I had no idea there was such a struggle in the florist community between family-owned businesses and corporate giants, but I can't say I'm surprised. Third party and national retailers have been helping themselves to a cut of local flower sales and it needs to come to an end!

Here's How it Works

Companies like Ava's Flowers, 1-800-Flowers, and Just Flowers may be advertised as florists but they are in fact "order brokers" who facilitate orders nationwide to local flower shops-- for a price.

In one Tiktok video I saw a florist in Virginia describing a situation where a customer was trying to purchase an $80 floral arrangement through a wire service, but by the time the broker took their cut the customer was only receiving a $60 arrangement. By calling the florist directly the customer was able to purchase an even bigger arrangement, getting more for their $80 by cutting out the middle man.

Ardis Lielzuika, owner of Ambati Flowers told MLive in 2013,

We used to be members but we stopped because of their ethical standards. There are a whole slew of them out there, like 1-800-Flowers. We can't fill the orders to what the customer wants to receive because the retailer takes a chunk off the top and expect us to fill it.

If you want the most bang for your buck and to ensure your hard-earned dollars are staying local, your best bet this Valentine's Day is to call your locally owned flower shop: