The Village Flower Shop celebrates 51 years of bringing smiles with flowers
NORFOLK, Neb. -- Love was in the air this Valentine's Day as couples flocked to their local floral shops for their significant other.
In their 51st year of business, The village flower shop in Norfolk spread smiles and gave us an inside glimpse on what happens behind the scenes.
“What people might not know,” said Amy Caskey, The Village Shop owner. “Is how roses are bought and sold. A rose is sold by the peddle count, the higher the peddle count, the more premium the rose can be.”
On a normal week, the village will order a few hundred pounds of flowers, which seems like a lot but when it's Valentine’s.
“One of our loads we picked up at the airport weighed 880 pounds, and those will all be gone by Valentine's day,” Caskey said. “It may look like fun from the front and at times, it is. The only thing some do not understand, it is very physical hard work at times. We are constantly carrying 5 gallon water buckets, picking up, and making deliveries.”
“We cut the stems, we put them in buckets of clean water and some flower food,” said Beth Rutjens, The Village Florist lead designer. “And then we let them drink to hydrate really well.”
"We also have a cooler we keep all the flowers in and once they're processed and then we keep them at a temperature between like 35, 40 degrees,” said Tara Jordan, The Village Store manager. “That way. It keeps them from blowing out too soon. So then they blow out once they're at your home and you can enjoy those at home.”