Family-run flower shop embraces first Mother's Day rush

Flower shops across Connecticut saw a surge of customers Sunday as families celebrated Mother’s Day, including one Hartford business experiencing the holiday rush under new ownership for the first time.

At House of Flora in Hartford, owner Elizabeth Farrell is no stranger to flowers.

“I actually have a four-year bachelor’s degree from UConn in horticulture. My dad has the same exact degree. So it’s a family thing,” Farrell said.

Farrell has owned House of Flora since January. Longtime NBC Connecticut viewers may remember when we visited her in February, when she said Mother’s Day is one of the two busiest days of the year for the shop. The other is Valentine’s Day.

“How much work goes into preparing the shop for Mother’s Day?”

“So much. So, so much,” Farrell said. “We actually started right after Valentine’s Day. So I would say maybe we had a little bit of a break, maybe a couple days, but then we just started planning right after.”

Florists cannot simply plant flowers and call it a day. Farrell said House of Flora imports flowers from around the world.

“They tack on, like, the fuel surcharges, the tariffs, the freight charges and everything,” Farrell said. “So it’s not only that, like, the flowers have increased, all of those surcharges and fees and freights, that has also increased.”

That makes the foot traffic hectic at times, but worth it to keep the business going.

Farrell is not doing it alone. She is joined by her sister, Victoria, and father, Gary, making it a family effort. A temporary team of nearly 20 people also helped keep the lines moving.

“I have so many people here that are working with us that are mothers, even my mother here is working,” Farrell said. “So I just love my whole team so much.”

Even after the final flower is sold, there is no time to stop and smell the roses.

“We won’t be open tomorrow.” Farrell said. “Because that is going to be a day of getting an all new product.”

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