Ken Becker, the owner of Zeidler’s Flowers in Evansville, opened up in an interview with Tristate about his business in the lead-up to Valentine’s Day. His floral shop has been in operation for generations.

“I’m the third family to own it since 1900, and it is a privilege,” he explained. “Zeidler’s name goes way back in this community. I’m privileged to have this business and to own it.”

While most people aren’t thinking about Valentine’s Day until late January at the earliest, Becker begins preparing the year before. “It starts in November, and a lot of people don’t realize that Zeidler’s has a wholesale house also,” he continued. “So, our wholesale house brings the flowers in from around the world, and we sell them to other retail stores. We start this process in November when we’re ordering our flowers from the farms, and then our shipments start coming in the first part of February.”

While different factors play a role in exactly what business will look every year, there are some constants. “The nice thing about the holiday for businesses is that it is always on February 14, which can give them time to prepare for the seasonal boom,” Becker added. However, there are also, predictably, variables. “Wednesday is our best for Valentine’s Day. Everybody wants the flowers to be delivered to his or her spouse’s work,” he shared. “If it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a lot of people don’t work on a Saturday or Sunday, so our deliveries are a lot less.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, one specific flower and one specific color are the number one sellers every year, timeless choices that never go out of style. “75% of all rose sales are red,” Becker revealed. “For some people, it is about their favorite color, but 75% of roses that go out, are pretty much the most of our sales. We do smaller bouquets for lesser price arrangements, but it’s the roses that people want.”

Other types of gifts are on the rise for Valentine’s Day, but the classics always have a strong showing, according to Becker. “The NRF survey reports an increasing percentage of those who want to give the gift of an ‘experience’ – a trip, shopping spree, spa day and the like, but the Valentine’s Day standards – candy, cards and flowers, seem poised to remain strong choices for gift givers,” he concluded.

Read more about Zeidler’s Flowers and Becker’s holiday preparations here.