Things are in full swing for Lucille’s Floral of Fishkill this week as they gear up for Valentine’s Day. We caught up with owner Lucille Conforti to learn how she streamlines one of her busiest weeks of the year.
Square: Take me to the beginnings. How did you get started with this business?
Conforti: I used to arrange flowers at home at night just for fun. Then one day, I was driving by and saw this business was for sale. I hated my job — I was an area manager for a clothing chain — and thought, why not. It was time for a change. We’ve been in business for 15 years now.
How’s the Valentine’s Day lead-up?
This week is crazy. But Valentine’s Day is sort of a last-minute holiday. Usually the night before Valentine’s Day is an all-nighter.
Is Valentine’s Day your biggest sales day?
Valentine’s Day is big, and Mother’s Day, too. But people usually spend more on Valentine’s Day. Especially the younger generation. It’s not uncommon for them to spend $200 to $300 on arrangements. That said, we make most of our money during wedding season.
How do you prep for Valentine’s Day?
We used to pull two or three all-nighters before Valentine’s Day, but now we have a better idea of how to prep. You have to make all those boxes and bows and cut streamers and ribbons beforehand. Then when someone walks in, all you have to do is tie it all together quickly.
What Square features help you out the most?
We never had a way for people to order ahead and come and pick up their flowers. Pre-order and pickup make that really easy. I’d say around 80 percent of my customers now order beforehand.
I also love looking at all the data in Square Point of Sale. I can see what times of day and week I make more than others, which influences my staffing decisions. The end-of-day email tells me what we closed out at and makes me pay attention to things much more.
Any trends you’re seeing in Valentine’s Day flowers this year?
Roses. It’s always roses. But this year, bling seems to be really popular — rhinestones, sparkles, things like that. The more bling the better.
Best of luck to Lucille’s and other flower shops using Square this Valentine’s Day. See how you can use Square Point of Sale features to take care of all aspects of your business.
*Photos courtesy of Lucille’s Floral
