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Love Sells Despite Crunch

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By VALERIE KALFRIN

vkalfrin@tampatrib.com

Published: February 15, 2009

TAMPA - Florist Mark Adwell said he felt blessed to say Saturday that his business was blooming.

"We're having an exceptional Valentine's Day," said Adwell, manager of Outa Ma Tree Florist in Town 'N Country. "It's been pretty amazing, actually."
Adwell and other owners of specialty retailers including Schakolad Chocolate Factory in the SoHo district were concerned the economy's crunch would make Cupid frugal. So they cut prices and adopted strategies to combat an anticipated drop in sales.

With about 240 flower deliveries made by early Saturday afternoon, Adwell thought the precautions had paid off.

Schakolad co-owner Valentina Ludert wasn't as confident. . Ludert said she noticed less foot traffic this year, her seventh at 408 S. Howard Ave., but that she hadn't tallied her receipts.

"Less people have come in," she said. "We have to see what happens at the end of the day. ... Thank God for our regular customers."

Ludert said boxes of truffles filled with mocha, Grand Marnier and other liqueurs remained popular, along with chocolate-covered strawberries and edible heart-shaped boxes made of chocolate. She reduced prices for several items about 20 percent to make up for any dip in sales; a medium-sized heart-shaped box this year sold for $18, down from $22.

The chocolatier also partnered with nearby florist KaBloom to promote each other's products. "It's a matter of having a positive attitude and high hopes," Ludert said.
Adwell said he also lowered prices because "we knew everyone was having a tough time." He sold a dozen long-stemmed red roses this year for $70, down from about $85 last year.

The florist also adopted a can-do attitude, at one point purchasing oatmeal cookies a customer requested to be delivered with a single rosebud vase. Sales of balloons and stuffed animals have been brisk.

"People seem to be doing a little bit extra, getting the most for their money," he said.

One retailer who noticed no dent in flower and chocolate sales was Joe Norton, grocery manager of the Publix GreenWise Market in Hyde Park. For the store's first Valentine's Day in the neighborhood, an employee sold bouquets of a dozen roses for $20 and vases for $40 in a sort of drive-through along West Platt Street. Balloons and bakery treats dotted the store.

"It's going pretty well. More and more, I think we get a lot of business away from florists," Norton said.

The supermarket's prices and convenience make treating a sweetheart on a budget easy, he said. "People are cutting back some - but not the really smart guys."

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