Valentine’s Day is around the corner and florists have been preparing for one of their busiest times.
Josie Garcia is the owner of Alice Floral and Gift and has been in business for more than 20 years. She shared her secret to success in a struggling economy as Valentine's Day approaches with Neighborhood News Reporter Melissa Trevino.
"I think being creative, of course - I have great visibility by the highway where I'm at. But I have a lot of friends. And the fact that people in our community have known my family for years,” Garcia said.
Garcia has always been in the flower business. Her grandmother and mother were both florists in the neighborhood.
Garcia and her husband, Robert, opened a boutique after they retired. When her mother passed away, customers started asking them for flower arrangements.
"I never thought I'd be doing this. I never thought after teaching. I said I'll retire and just take care of my parents. And - nope,” Josie said.
While she didn’t expect to a florist, she said, she enjoys it especially during the holidays.
"Valentine's is the biggest everywhere in the world,” Josie said.
Because of that, they’re always in preparation mode. They have Texas distributors to ease the process, which is reflected in pricing.
Trevino asked, with this economy - how do you stay reasonably priced?
"Of course - they're not getting the big boutiques that they used to get before, but I try to keep things reasonable. So, they have a choice. So, I try to incorporate different gift items. I always try to make everything special,” Josie said.
For Valentine’s Day, they started getting orders on Jan. 31st.
Josie said while there’s always ups and downs in any business, she’s glad to have taken over the family tradition and to be a central part of neighbors' romance.
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