Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Mother's Day Isn't Business As Usual For A Chelsea Florist
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mother's Day is typically one of the busiest days of the year for florists.
Like everything else impacted by the pandemic, things are a bit different this year.
CBS2's Tara Jakeway took a look at how one small business owner is managing to deal with the rush.
"We are doing everything that we possibly can to make sure it is a safe and very, very happy holiday for every mom that is out there," said Nick Faitos, the creative mind behind Starbright Floral Design in Chelsea.
Lillies, roses, hydrangeas, masks and gloves... Mother's Day is looking a little different for small businesses this year.
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"We are making all deliveries contact-free. We're taking pictures of the flowers where they are being dropped off so we can have proof of show of delivery, not we're not requiring any signatures," Faitos said.
Starbright, a family-owned shop, opened its doors on West 26th Street back in 1994. One week ago, it was allowed to reopen for delivery and pickups.
"In a typical year we would be running over 2,000 deliveries for the weekend," Faitos said.
He says COVID-19 may have slowed them down.
"We are probably at about 25% of that right now," he said.
But if this Mother's Day proved anything, it's to not count the business out. With with limited available supplies, staff and capacity to fill orders, it brought blooms to all five boroughs -- and beyond.
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"We are very, very happy. We're happy on several different levels, the most important of which is that we are bringing our people back," Faitos said.
By "people," he means loyal customers like Jackie Werner, who was there for the pickup process, which includes a social distancing line outside.
"I've been using Starbright for years and I was super happy to see that they were taking Mother's Day deliveries," Werner said.
To make sure their customers are extra safe when delivering the beautiful bouquets, there is only one delivery person per van, and each vehicle is sanitized between each trip.
