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Mother's Day blossoms at St. Louis florist despite fear of nationwide flower shortage

"For the most part, we're sold out for Mother's Day and our demand is up," Walter Knoll says

ST. LOUIS — "This Mother's Day really is better than last year's because we were still closed," says Walter Knoll, owner of Walter Knoll Florist in south St. Louis.

This Mother's Day, the popular, 138-year-old, family-owned business is back open.

Business is blossoming and faithful customers are buying all kinds of homemade floral arrangements for their moms.

"We really have had demand all year. Our business has been up," Knoll says.

Knoll says their in-store transactions, online sales and deliveries are all up significantly.

All week, drivers have delivered about 1,200 Mother's Day bouquets a day.

"For the most part, we are sold out for Mother's Day," Knoll adds.

About one-third of fresh flowers at floral shops in the U.S. are shipped from South America.

Leading up to this Mother's Day, COVID-related restrictions in Colombia have caused a major shortage of blooms around the nation.

"Well, it hasn't greatly affected us yet because it just happened. The Mother's Day stuff comes about a week ago and so it just made it, so we're very lucky," Knoll says.

All day at Walter Knoll on Friday, happy customers like Gary Preston snatched up roses, lots of lilies and plenty of perennials for mom.

"I'm definitely satisfied with the multicolored arrangement I have for my mom. It has everything in it, just all kinds of colors," Preston says.

In Dutchtown, Cheryl Herris wasn't focusing on a pandemic-related flower shortage. 

Instead, Herris says she put all her energy in her special "Mother's Day Sidewalk Sale."

More than a dozen business owners, who are still recovering from the pandemic, also paused to remember moms.

"It was a great day for us," Herris says. "Our event was also designed to cheer up mothers in our area and to encourage more people to shop locally and support more of our businesses that have closed." 

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