Florist looks to busiest day of the year for flower sales

PERRYVILLE, Mo. (KBSI) – Florist and owner of Petunia and Lilly’s in Perryville, Lillian Prevallet, says with Valentine’s Day they are in full swing making arrangements for one of their busiest days of the year.

“You have the people who prepare, and you’ve got the people who order a month ahead of time. But many of them are coming in for Valentine’s Day, the day before or the day of,” she said.

With inflation continuing, flowers may not be in the budget for some, but the veteran proprietor says she tries her best to collect her flowers at the local level.

“I would say some of them have gone up for sure, and Valentine’s Day, just because of the demand and the number of flowers that start to come in, they start to creep up around January or February and then they’ll slowly creep down. Some are there a little bit lower, and then we can get a lot more local ones when things start blooming, which is nice,” she said.

Prevallet says the average cost for a dozen roses ranges from $80 to $100 depending on the market.

For Prevallet, it’s about the passion of being a florist – not the money.

“We’re just very blessed to be able to bring joy to people. Life can be hard, so we’re really in one of the best businesses to see the good in people and encourage each other. You know, what better blessing is there to do that on a daily basis?” she asked.

Petunia and Lilly’s recently moved locations after five years in business on the Perryville downtown square.

They are now located on Jackson Street, across from Mary Jane Burgers and Brew in Perryvile.