Black Friday and Small Business Saturday is next week, giving retail florists an opportunity to push the “shop local” message, get customers in-store, and net holiday sales.

But how are florists luring customers to their shops — and websites?  Learn from these retailers who made Black Friday or Small Business Saturday a success last year — and how they plan to build on it.

Swag Bags

Jennifer Cummins Linehan, of Beautiful Blooms by Jen in Sylvania, Ohio, doesn’t score many Small Business Saturday sales because that day coincides with the biggest college football game in her state, the Ohio State-Michigan game. (“The whole town shuts down to watch football,” she says. “We’ve tried to be open, but no one is out shopping.”)

Instead, her Main Street shop joins a community effort to promote small business Black Friday shopping. “We have so many people who want to shop local while they’re in town for Thanksgiving,” she says.

Collectively, the downtown businesses pass out 100 swag bags at the local coffee shop filled with items from each store. A third of the bags contain a $30 gift certificates courtesy of the downtown association that can be used at any participating store.

Linehan’s contribution are flower-themed cocktail napkins with a $10 gift certificate attached to each. “We have learned that putting a coupon that can be used the whole holiday season versus a coupon just for the weekend works better for us,” she says.

Ugly Plant Sale

Some plants, no matter how much love and attention they receive, just seem to struggle — something that Kim Sides of Prescott Flower Shop experiences in her Prescott, Arizona shop. Instead of throwing away the distressed inventory, the shop last year decided to host an “Ugly Plant” sale for Small Business Saturday.

“Rather than pulling them from the floor completely, we just ‘undressed’ them down to the basic plastic pot, and put them on a separate table with a silly sign,” Sides says.

They created an Instagram post announcing the deal for anyone with a green thumb, and it “absolutely generated traffic,” Sides says. Even better, it generated additional sales. “I’d say about half the people who came in also took home a small gift item as well,” she says.

Last year’s plant sale was so successful that the shop has already rounded up its ugly plants for this year’s sale.

Party-Like Atmosphere

“Since COVID, getting folks out to shop has been a challenge around here, but slowly they are coming back,” says Herbert Rothe of Rothe Florist in Philadelphia. “There is definitely a movement to shop local and support local businesses. You have to use those phrases — shop local, support small businesses, etc. — with your online and print ads.”

Rothe’s starts sending emails the week before Thanksgiving that mentions Small Business Saturday. They also offer incentives such as 20 percent off ornaments, or 10 percent off or free delivery on poinsettias.

They also put a lot of effort into creating a party-like atmosphere with food, balloons and signs they’ve saved from American Express, which started the shopping holiday (posters and other graphics from American Express can be downloaded here).

His last tip: “Offer food!  We serve coffee and donuts Saturday morning. We didn’t do the past two years, but we will do it this year.”

Open House

Petersen & Tietz Florists & Greenhouses in Waterloo, Iowa, draws customers to the shop with events, says owner Heidi De Silva.

“We always host a poinsettia open house that begins the day after Thanksgiving,” she says. “We also host classes.”

They promote the events on Facebook and Instagram, and also on the radio and in the local newspaper.

In the Spotlight

Barbara Courchesne of The Bud Connection in Trenton, Maine, is a pro at attracting media attention for her Small Business Saturday events. Over the years she has developed a good relationship with the reporters in her area and has their numbers saved in her phone so she can easily reach out to pitch a story.

“They love soft news stories, especially for the weekends,” she says.

Courchesne’s best advice to other florists seeking a spot in the media: Give them a feel-good story.

“Just be yourself and show lots of enthusiasm,” she says. “They want the feel-good stories— so you have to feel good!”

Need help getting the word out about your Black Friday or Small Business Saturday sale? The Society of American Florists has resources to help, including:

• Sample press releases
• Pointers on working with the media
• Small Business Saturday social media graphics and web banners

Amanda Jedlinsky is the managing editor of SAF NOW.