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id you receive flowers on Valentine’s Day this year? If so, whoever sent them to you—statistically, most likely a man—contributed to what is the single biggest day annually in the U.S. floral game. According to the Society of American Florists, Valentine’s Day accounts for a whopping 30% chunk of the industry’s annual transactions and 28% of its dollar volume compared with other holidays; it’s followed closely by Christmas and Chanukah, with Mother’s Day rounding out the top three. In 2018, over a quarter of American adults — 28% — bought flowers on Valentine’s Day, or 41% of men and 15% of women. And, according to the National Retail Federation, consumers were on track to spend approximately $1.9 billion (that’s billion, with a “b”) in 2019 on February 14 — Hallmark holiday or not. That’s a lot of roses (an estimated 250 million of them) because, yes, red roses are the flowers of choice to express one’s affections, but pink, white, purple/lavender, yellow, peach/coral, and orange ones saw plenty of action as well, in that order. Any bozo can bounce into a grocery store—or even a gas station—at the last second when the dawning realization strikes that one should really “say it with flowers.” But if you want to put a bit more care into your blooming “I love you” or “I’m sorry” or “Congratulations!” message, there are some fantastic florists for the picking right here in WC. We caught up with a few of them—not an easy feat during the lead up to their busiest time of the year—so kudos to them for taking the time to talk with us.

K TWIG Gardens Bridal showers are one of those social obligations that get a bad rap for being…. well, tired. Food, presents, ooh, ahhh, repeat. When Carly Manning-Smith and her mother Mindy Hamond were planning Carly’s wedding in the summer of 2015, that bridal shower ennui was a pitfall they set out to avoid—little did they know that a business would be the result. Carly “didn't want a bridal shower full of ‘things,’” she told us. Instead she wanted a collaborative experience with her friends and family. “We didn't see this being offered in the area, so we made it happen,” Carly said.

The pair had already selected the centerpiece containers—all repurposed or recycled—for the wedding. So for the shower, guests were asked to bring plants, soil, and clothes in which they would be willing to get dirty, and voila—the first TWIG workshop and wedding was born. The mother-daughter team soon realized they had something unique and began research on sourcing Pennsylvania-specific plants and learning how they could (nearly) only use repurposed, natural or recycled vessels. They began building inventory and scheduling events, making TWIG Gardens an official LLC in 2016. “Our business is divided into three sections: single-purchase sales, workshops, and weddings,” Carly said. While the pair “dream of a storefront one day,” for now, they work around it. “We love the small businesses we’ve built relationships with in town. They provide us space to sell our gardens and bouquets, and in exchange

THE TWIG PHILOSOPHY IS SIMPLE: SECOND-HAND CONTAINERS AND VESSELS THAT ARE NATURALLY FOUND AND/OR REPURPOSED, AND STRIVING TO ONLY USE PENNSYLVANIA-GROWN SUCCULENTS AND FLOWERS.

A their space is given some green life!” Carly told us. “Many of our workshop and wedding clients are people who learned about us through those small businesses. So even though workshops and weddings are the largest segments of our business, they would absolutely not exist without the support we receive from our fellow local businesses.”

MARCH 2019 THEWCPRESS.COM

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