Friday, May 24, 2013

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Mother’s Day Means Boon for Flower Shops
One wholesale business is particularly in high gear
By Lauren Maxwell
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ANCHORAGE - Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and that translates into a busy time for some Anchorage businesses who are trying to keep up with demand. Floral shops are in high gear getting set for deliveries this weekend.

But it isn’t just the folks who create beautiful bouquets who have their hands full. It’s also the people who sell florists their flowers, like Cedars.

Cedars is a wholesale flower business in Anchorage – the biggest in the state. Long time owner Aram Markossian is also putting in extra hours during the busy season.

“This is one of the busiest,” says Markossian. “I would say Mother's day and Valentine are the biggest and next to that is the wedding season,” which, Markossian notes, is just around the corner.

Markossian has no shortage of customers because Cedars is the place where florists come to shop, usually every morning. Carol Trout was there on the Friday before Mother’s Day. Trout was picking up flowers for her business, Uptown Blossoms.

“We don’t do many daisies, “ says the owner of the high-end shop. “We like tulips and Calla lilies, roses, amaryllis and lots of different things.”

She had no problem finding what she needed. Markossian has more than 100 varieties of flowers on hand, most of them flown in fresh every morning. They come from Holland, South America and California. But they sell out quickly. Markossian says during this busy season it’s not unusual to find his room-sized coolers empty by the end of the day – a fact that proves Alaskans love their flowers, perhaps even more than most.