The Flower Blog

I recently had someone post a question to our blog “About how many stems do you go through in a Gillespie day?” The short answer is 1200 stems on average. But I thought it would be interesting to look at the long answer too!

Though we go through 1200 stems a day most of the year, during major floral holidays the stem count increases dramatically! For example, during Valentines Day holiday, we can go through more than 13,200 stems per day!

I asked Sarah, our General Manager, what she orders on a weekly basis during the summer months to help me get an idea of what varieties of flowers we stock in addition to the stem count. Here is what she told me:

150 bunches of Leatherleaf
12 bunches of Solidego
10 bunches of Limonium
10 bunches of Iris
1000 - 1500 stems of Carnations
10 bunches of Stock
20 bunches of Babies Breath
10 bunches of larkspur
10 bunches of Gladiolus
10 bunches of Sunflowers
15 bunches of Mini-carnations
40 bunches of Alstroemeria
50 bunches of Daisies
7 bunches of Fuji Mums
80 stems of Gerbera Daisies
1000 stems of Roses
5 bunches of Hybrid Lilies
10 bunches of Statice
3 bunches of Curly Willow
10 bunches of Spray Roses
3 Bunches of Liatris
5 bunches of Delphinium
10 bunches of Snapdragons
3 bunches of Tree Fern
1 bunch of Myrtle
1 bunch of Spiral Eucalyptus
2 bunches of Seeded Eucalyptus
2 bunches of Pittosporum
2 bunches of hypericum

Sarah told me that throughout the week she has to order additional flowers to replace flowers we run out of or to fill an order requesting specific flowers that we don’t have in stock at the time. Several days a week, you can find her at the wholesale house at 6:30 a.m. picking up flowers for orders.

We have a 500 square foot cooler that houses all of our flowers at a chilly 34 degrees! Be sure to stop in and ask to hand pick your flowers from our cooler! We are open seven days a week so you can stop in when it’s best for you!

Don’t have time to stop by? Check out our Website by clicking below!

My sister and I are attending a workshop on advanced design techniques for wedding flowers. One of the common themes that I have noticed in wedding trends this year is the Boomerang effect of designs. Simply put, a design or style of the past is coming into fashion again. For those of you with parachute pants, I would not put them on quite yet, but who knows? Those pants could be the next big thing… again!

First of all, I should probably explain what a Glamillia is! A Glamillia is made from multiple florets of gladiolus, which are carefully pulled apart and repositioned within a composite style bouquet. The end result is a unique looking, single bloom effect. The name is derived from the camellia, which is a large-headed, single bloom flower.

The idea of composite style bouquets is not new. As a matter of fact, Glamillia bouquets were widely carried by brides in the 1960’s. Recently, I have noticed many brides are choosing to wear vintage wedding gowns on their wedding day. When the demand for vintage gowns increases, so does the demand for vintage style bridal bouquets. To that end, we designed a composite calla lily bouquet for a wedding last month (with the added effect of a rose and jeweled accents).

Composite type bouquets can be made of roses, tulips, gladiolus and calla lilies. The end result is a simple, yet elegant bouquet (or corsage) that is both stunning and (re) trend setting!

Gillespie Florists is open 12 hours daily Monday-Friday from 7am -7pm (we’re open on Saturday and Sunday too, just shorter hours). There’s a lot that can happen in a day and here’s the synopsis of a typical day here at the shop.

6:45am - 7:00am: Duane and Nancy come in to open the store. Nancy will start filling orders for plants, planters and Terrariums. When needed, she also designs beautiful corsages and dish gardens. Duane begins his day filling fresh flower orders.  Both Nancy and Duane will help customers as needed until the Customer Care staff arrives. Many customers stop in on their way to work, so the first hour of the day can be pretty exciting! Several days a week, Sarah is at the local wholesalers buying flowers during this hour.

8:00am - 9:00am: Two drivers, Debbie, Sarah and Sheila come in. The “Delivery Pool” driver loads up the morning deliveries for outlying areas and drives to a central location downtown, where he/she will meet with 30 other drivers in an industrial type building. The “Local” driver loads up the morning deliveries that have destinations that are nearby. Debbie, a member of the Customer Care team, will answer phones and assist walk-in customers.  Between customers and phone calls, she wraps “sunshine” bouquets (our very popular $3.95 take-out bouquet). All staff members will assist customers and answer phones when needed. Sarah, the Operations Manager, is responsible for ordering flowers from around the world, processing orders in the Order Control Department, routing deliveries/drivers, coordinating weddings and special events! Generally in this hour, you will find her in Order Control, processing and distributing orders to the design team. Sheila will design extra flower arrangements or help Duane with orders.

10:00am - 11:00am: Jacklyn and Della arrive. Jacklyn assists in the Customer Care and design departments.  Della is the “Web” Administrator and works on product development (to get new products to our website), write blogs, attend to our social media presence, work on PPC marketing and traditional marketing. Della is also the giftware buyer! Both delivery drivers are returning from their morning routes in the latter half of this hour. The drivers begin loading their afternoon deliveries and they will process new flower shipments, time permitting.

12:00pm: This is a crucial time of our day. Our “Pool” truck leaves at 12:30 and all orders for the greater metropolitan area must be ready to go with this driver. You will find everyone assisting customers, designing, processing flowers or loading a delivery vehicle during this hour. At 12:30-1:00, we begin rotating lunch breaks!

1:00pm - 2:00pm: Lunchtime!  Everyone gets a chance to catch their breath and a bite before the afternoon rush.  Duane, Elaine, Nancy and Sheila are working on orders for the next day and making extra bouquets. If Duane has weddings to work on for the weekend, this is the time of day he would get started on them.  Debbie, Jacklyn, Sarah and Della are all hard at work with the daily tasks assigned to them.

3:00pm - 4:00pm: Sarah and Nancy leave between 3-4pm. Before leaving she makes sure we are all on task and all orders have been processed. Our delivery drivers are usually finishing up deliveries in the latter half of this hour. As the drivers return, they will check to see if there are any additional deliveries to be made, check to see if there  flowers that need processed and assist the designers with clean-up before leaving for the day.

5:00pm - 600pm: Duane usually leaves around 5pm but is always happy to stay longer if needed! Sheila leaves between 6-7pm. Business also picks up for the 5 o’clock rush because customers stop by on their way home from work. This is my favorite time of day because most flower shops are closed and customers are pleasantly surprised to see us open!

7:00pm-7:30pm: We close at 7pm (sometimes later, if we have orders to finish or customers to assist). Jacklyn, Sheila and I get the drawers balanced, finish cleaning up and go home!

There you have it! 12 hours in the life of Gillespie Florists!

Check out our latest video of what we have in stock in our cooler below!

Top 5 Bestsellers for Prom 2012

The Prom season is officially over for us here at Gillespie Florists and I like to print product analysis reports to see what we sold more or less of to help me order supplies for next year's Proms. While doing this I thought, "why not share with everyone our best sellers?"


5. Three Alstroemeria Corsage - GFP7

In fifth place is the Alstroemeria Corsage! Alstroemeria lilies are not well known for being a popular corsage flower but here at Gillespie’s we use them quite a bit. We love using them in conjunction with other flowers; customers also usually like them by themselves. The corsage pictured here is the base priced Prom alstroemeria corsage on our free wristlet. Many customers chose to add on an upgraded keepsake wristlet. Alstroemeria lilies come in dozens of colors, which makes it easy for us to make the perfect match to your dress!


4. Three Mini Carnations & Two Sweetheart Rose Corsage - GFP5

In fourth place is the Three Mini Carnations & Two Sweetheart Rose Corsage! This is a combination of some of our most popular corsage flowers; no wonder this corsage is in the Top 5! Roses and Carnations come in a wide variety of colors therefore matching to your dress will be a breeze! This corsage works really well with multicolored dresses because of vast opportunities to mix colors.
The corsage pictured here is the base priced Prom alstroemeria corsage on our free wristlet. Many customers chose to add on an upgraded keepsake wristlet as well.

3. Dendrobium Orchid Corsage - Flower Bombe - 12PN06

In Third place is the Dendrobium Orchid Corsage! I think this one is popular because the classic Mother’s Day corsage is the cymbidium orchid corsage. although the cymbidiums are far too big for most teens taste, girls still want to emulate their Moms by wearing a similar type of flower. Dendrobium Orchids come in a limited colors but are still very versatile; thanks to new dyeing techniques the number of available colors is increasing!
If we cannot match your dress with the color of orchid, we can use white dendrobiums and match your dress with ribbons, leaves, beads, tulle and rhinestones instead! The corsage pictured here shows a keepsake wristlet, item #GFPBC!

2. Three Mini Carnation Corsage - Bauble On - 11PN12

In second place is the Three Mini Carnation Corsage! This corsage is so popular because of the versatility of colors! Carnations not only come in lots of colors but they also tip very well. Tipping is when we take a paint and tip the edges of a flower with it. Tipping can be harmful to some flowers but carnations tend to hold up pretty well with it! I believe carnations are so popular because they hardy enough to survive a night of dancing!
The corsage pictured here shows a keepsake wristlet, item #GFPAM

1. Three Sweetheart Rose Corsage - BoHo - 10PN24

In first place is the Three Sweetheart Rose corsage! Roses will always be a favorite among teens! Prom corsages are sometimes the very first flowers they will give or receive. Teenagers may act like they don’t pay attention to Mom or Dad but they do! They see Dad getting Mom roses for their anniversary or special occasions so the first flower that comes to mind is of course, roses! The great thing about roses is they are coming in more and more colors every year and that makes it very easy to match or compliment your dress! The corsage pictured here shows a keepsake wristlet!


We sell keepsake bracelets with our corsages about 40% of the time! Here’s a quick look at our Top 5 Bestselling
bracelets!

5. Triple Threat Bracelet - Dazzle - GFPAX
4.  Diamond & Pearl Bracelet - Sugarplum - GFPAZ
3.   Sophisticated Lady Wristlet - GFPAH
2.  Cream Pearl w/ Rhinestones - GFPBG
1.  Dancing Butterfly Bracelet - Midnight - GFPBD

Our Top Selling keepsake boutonniere holder this year was:

Silver Boutonniere Holder - GFPJ

The great thing about our prom corsages is that there are thousand of combinations! We have over 100 ribbon choices, dozens of leaf, bead and tulle choices! We of dozens of keepsake bracelets to put your corsage on and most importantly we have hundreds of flower combinations! Best of all, don't see what you need? Just ask! We would love to help you get the perfect corsage for the perfect night!

See the perfect corsage on our site and want to share it with your friends or your date? There's an easy Facebook and Twitter button on each product!

Check out our Prom Corsages and Boutonnieres by clicking below!

Watch the video below to see our designer favorites for 2012!

Last year, We at Gillespie Florists thought it would be fun to have a Prom King & Queen Contest! So, We held it again this year and it was a hit! Prom customers only needed to post their picture on our Facebook Fan Page wearing our flowers! We then asked our Facebook fans to "Like" their favorite picture or make a positive comment about it to determine the winner. We had several people enter but there can be only one winner!

And the Winner is...

The Results are in! Our Prom King & Queen for 2012 is....

Kelli Huffman & Tim Oconnor!

Kelli  & Tim each get a $25.00 gift card to Gillespie Florists and Kelli will be crowned with a tiara and flowers!

They had a whopping 68 "Likes" and comments on their photo! Congratulations!!

Kelli wore a three-sweetheart rose corsage similar to the one pictured here. Leah's was pink, black & silver and looked great with Tim's matching sweetheart rose boutonniere!


As a Thank You to everyone who entered the contest, we want to offer you a free Sunshine Bouquet! Just stop in the store any time, give us your name and we will give you your Sunshine!

Those Contestants are:

Meredith Warbinton & Quinn
MacKenzie McKnight and Christian Ewoldt
Allyssa Ashcraft & Sergey Dawson
Madison Raine Fines & her date
Brenda Danielle & Nick
Taylor Purcell & her date
Hannah Todd and her date
Carly Thomas & her date
Holly Wood & Griffin Goldman
Debbie Trowbridge
Glenda Pierce Sluss

Thanks again to everyone who entered the contest! Until next year!

For the second year in a row we asked Prom customers to post a snapshot of themselves wearing Gillespie Florists flowers on our Facebook Fan Page to get the chance to be crowned the Gillespie Florists Prom King & Queen! Voting is today and tomorrow!

Here is what our Prom King & Queen Hopefuls had to do:
·  Take a snapshot wearing Gillespie's Flowers.
·  Post it on our Wall.
·  Tag everyone in the picture.
·  Gillespie’s adds the picture to "Prom King & Queen Contest Album".
·  Then they ask friends and family to "Like" their photo or make a positive comment on the photo.
·  One week after the end of Prom Season, we will tally up the "Likes" and Comments and whoever has the most wins!

What do they win?
The Queen will be crowned with a tiara, flowers and both King and Queen will be awarded with $25.00 Gift Cards to Gillespie Florists!  And don't forget, Bragging Rights!

Want to help decide who wins?

Click Here to go to the "Prom King & Queen Contest Album" and “Like” your favorite Now!

Winners will be announced on Facebook May 26st!

Check out our Fabulous selection of Prom Flowers!

Mother’s Day is as much about the children as it is about Mom. Letting your kids be a part of the gift giving process will provide them a way to express their individual love for Mom. It really is the thought that counts! Here are 5 easy to make gifts that you and your family can do together for Mom.

1. Recycled Puzzle Piece Photo Frame
Don't throw out your puzzles with missing pieces. There are plenty of crafting opportunities waiting. This is an easy to do project and Mom will love the end result! A personalized photo frame! Let your children pick out their favorite picture of themselves and build a puzzle frame around it. Follow the link for a supply list and super easy instructions!

http://www.makingfriends.com/recycle/puzzle_piece_photo_frame.htm

2. Bouquet of Photo Flowers

Looking for a bouquet of flowers with a little personal touch? Make this precious keepsake for Mom or Grandma this Mother’s Day and they will cherish it always. You can bring these photo flowers to your local florist and have them add it to a fresh arrangement for you! Mom will love the smell of fresh flowers and always cherish the photos! Follow the link for a supply list and instructions.

http://crafts.kaboose.com/bouquet-of-photo-flowers.html

3. Create a home video for Mom.

My siblings and I made a Michael Jackson Music video for Mother’s Day one year and she still has that tape to this day! As you can imagine, it was pretty comical with 5 kids and 2 dogs running around the living room all dancing terribly to “Bad”. She says it is a gift she will never forget! She mentioned it the other day and it is what inspired me to write this blog! So, get out your camcorder and create mom a music video she will never forget!

4. Potpourri Sachets

Almost every woman loves air fresheners! This is an easy project for you and the kids that Mom will really use!  Potpourri Sachets is a versatile air freshener because you can put them anywhere! From your rearview mirror, your dresser drawer,  Fill pretty little organza bags with potpourri to give Mom! Follow the link for a supply list and instructions.

http://www.makingfriends.com/winter/valentine_potpourri.htm

5. Create A Fresh Bouquet for Mom

We have Dads come in with their kids to pick out flowers for Mom and it is the sweetest thing to see! They come back to our cooler and Dad helps them pick out flowers that they think Mom will like. A salesperson is always nearby to assist! Then Dad lets us know if he would like one of our designers to create a bouquet for Mom and have it delivered or if he would like us to wrap up the flowers to take home. If you decide to take the flowers home, it makes a fun project for the kids and it won’t hurt the wallet either! You can save 20% - 60% by taking the flowers home and vasing them yourself! Make it even more memorable by video taping you and the kids making this special bouquet! 

Is Mom out of town this year? Need us to deliver a beautiful custom made gift? Click below to go to our website!

Glowing Prom Flowers? Is this for real? Yes, it is! We excited to introduce Galassia Flowers Fluorescence corsages into our prom collection!  This product enhances the natural beauty of flowers, and takes flower color to a new level by giving them a spectacular glow!

For their beauty to be revealed, they need ultra-violet (UV) light supplied by custom-designed illumination device and a specially formulated solution applied directly to the flowers.  These unique devices are imported from Adelaide, Australia- a city with a strong reputation in plant science research and development.  We are honored to be one of the few florists in the United States that can provide this product to our customers!  As a matter of fact, we learned about this product from networking with a florist in Las Vegas, Nevada.  

Galassia Corsage - Lights on in lighted room!

How does it work?
First, we create a one of our signature corsages and design it on the Galassia bracelet with the lighted device attached. Next, we spray Galassia special formulation of fluorescence on the entire corsage. Then, when the big night arrives, the corsage is worn on the wrist, complete with an adjustable band.  The device has a convenient on/off switch so you can decide when to light up the room! 

Galassia Corsage - Lights on in dark room! 

The product works best in a dark room and produces a “black light” effect. The battery life is 6-8 hours but the formulation can last for months!The photos above are showing the same corsage in a lighted room and in a darkened room. Wow! What an amazing difference!

If you want the Galassia Flowers Fluorescence on your corsage, Contact us at 317.273.1100 or use our convenient Contact us form!

Check out this video of our glowing prom corsage in action!