Florist Laura Mohamadi of Flower House KC talks the ups and downs of the unpredictable Valentine’s Day business

Owner Laura Mohamadi // Photo courtesy of Laura Mohamadi

Our dearest procrastinators,

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, The Pitch is here to remind you that your sweetheart needs some flowers, and now is the time to act. We are willing to let it slide how sad it is that we’re the messenger just as long as you take our words to heart.

According to Laura Mohamadi of Flower House KC in Overland Park, Valentine’s Day is unfortunately known to be a last-minute holiday. So, if you expect quality arrangements made with love and care and the least amount of spite, it’s important to show your love for the real heroes of the day—our local florists. They ensure your honeybun gets a quality arrangement that speaks your love into existence even when you find yourself at a loss for words.

Photo Courtesy of Laura Mohamadi

Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest times of the year for Mohamadi, enough to generate approximately 30% of her annual revenue. The day is rivaled only by Mother’s Day which she reveals to be the biggest holiday for her. “I think a big misconception is that it’s all fun and easy,” she says. “It’s very rewarding in the sense that we do design and we make these beautiful arrangements for different special occasions, but at the same time, it’s a very difficult job.”

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that there’s more to the $2.6 billion Valentine’s Day flower industry than making heart-warming displays. For Flower House KC, the preparation starts in December and doesn’t let up until a quick reprieve after Feb 14 before they’re back on the grind for Mother’s Day.

Sourcing materials, praying there are no delays, cleaning out endless flower buckets, taking non-stop calls, and delivering it all over town are sandwiched in between the time it takes to actually design. Obviously, it’s stressful, and it’s also unpredictable. Mohamadi aims to source locally in the warmer months, but with Valentine’s Day in the middle of winter, she relies on shipments from California, Columbia, and even Holland to supply her materials, meaning there’s bound to be a few hiccups.

Receiving a shipment of orange roses instead of red ones is not exactly penciled into the agenda, but a small business learns to pivot, and Mohamadi feels she’s figured out what needs priority. She jokingly credits this to her business model taking shape in her childhood home in California where she recalls trimming the flowers out of the neighbor’s yard, bundling them up, and selling them right back to them on their doorstep. It’s not unlike the business she runs now, only she won’t snatch them from your yard.

Mohamadi admits there was no financial gain to the process, only comments to her mom about how the neighbors appreciate her daughter’s sentiment, paired with their pleads for Mohamadi not to “Cut the ones from our yard.”

Neighborhood rejection couldn’t keep her business from eventually blooming. After pivoting away from a career in vocal performance, Mohamadi jumped into the flower business with encouragement from her husband. Today, she owns a successful flower studio in Overland Park where she plays classical music to spark her creativity.

Photo Courtesy of Laura Mohamadi

Okay, we understand that many of you are busy, and find the convenience of Walmart unmatched, but your florist is busy too, and like Mohamadi, they aim to put in the extra effort to pay homage to the holiday by doing the absolute most. The Flower House KC owner recollects a time where she wrapped 400 red roses, by far the most time-consuming order she has ever received, but one that left her with a lasting memory and a smile despite it taking three sets of hands to hold it in place.

Grab-and-go bouquets have their place, but a quality arrangement made by a colorful designer who still believes in love means so much more. She says she “Wanted to make the gifting experience a little bit different so maybe add on a candle with a small petite bouquet or some chocolates and instead of typing out all of our cards, maybe make them more personalized by writing each one.” Mohamadi is willing to grind for the sake of another’s joy because it’s a holiday worth celebrating. “I absolutely love Valentine’s Day,” she says. “It’s crazy but I love it.”

Her only wish is for some people to stop asking for custom arrangements on the morning of Feb 14. “A lot of our orders come in on the 13th and then on the 14th, it’s such a crazy day that we have someone answering calls but there’s no way we can take that many calls in the whole day.”

At the end of the day, Mohamadi is a professional, but she’s also a mother of four young ones, and a person who just wants to wrap up the Valentine’s Day rush with some Thai food. When asked if her husband greets her at home with flowers, she laughed. “I’m surrounded by flowers,” says Mohamadi. “I don’t want flowers.”

So order your flowers early, a few days if not a week ahead, because your florist shouldn’t have to deal with your inability to plan ahead.

P.S. It’s time to start thinking about Mother’s Day.

Love,

The Pitch

Flower House KC is operated at a private studio at 7131 W 135th St #1128
Overland Park, KS 66223.