Kidd O’Shea, the entertainment reporter for “Good Morning Washington”, spent several hours with the team at Lee’s Flower & Card Shop. He joined co-owner Stacie Lee Banks, AAF, for an impromptu, funny design tutorial.
In the midst of Mother’s Day week — when the pressure was on, and designs were flying out the door — some Society of American Florists members spoke with local and national media about holiday trends, demographics, flower care, and much, much more.
In the nation’s capital, Kidd O’Shea, the entertainment reporter for “Good Morning Washington,” spent several hours with the team at Lee’s Flower & Card Shop. He joined co-owner Stacie Lee Banks, AAF, for an impromptu, funny design tutorial — at one point O’Shea sheepishly noted that Banks was “fixing” his design and she gently reminded him of the value of a professionally designed arrangement, saying, “You do TV well. We do flowers well.”
Later, O’Shea accompanied Banks’ daughter Samarah Banks and her niece Joi Tyler, both of whom work in the family business, as they surprised their grandmother, Marie, with a Mother’s Day design. (“She might have her pajamas on,” the cousins warned before a beaming — and beautifully dressed — Marie opened the door.)
A segment for “Good Morning Washington” focused on Lee’s Flower & Card Shop—the business’ approach to Mother’s Day and also its ties to the community and a recent award presented to co-owner Staci Lee Banks, second from left, who was named Small Businessperson of the Year by the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. Pictured with Lee: Her husband, Jeffrey Banks; sister and business partner Kristie Lee; and father Rick Lee.
The segments also focused on the shop’s deep roots in Washington and Banks’ recent award from the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, which named her its Small Businessperson of the Year for 2018.
“The story turned out really nicely and I thought the surprise delivery was clever,” said Banks, who had to make a 4 a.m. run to her wholesaler in advance of the news story, to be fully prepped for that on-air design demo.
USA Today also ran a high-profile take on Mother’s Day flower trends, featuring designs and insight from SAF members.
Tim Farrell, owner of Farrell’s Florist in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, talked to the newspaper about the resurgence in popularity of carnations, explaining the full range of colors available, including shades of “purples and lavenders and eggplant colors.
“It’s those real unusual and new varieties that people are now excited about again,” he explained.
USA Today also ran a high-profile take on Mother’s Day flower trends, featuring designs and insight from SAF members.
Another SAF retailer member Blumz By JRDesigns, in Detroit and Ferndale, Michigan, was featured prominently in a photo gallery that complemented the story. The gallery included the shop’s “Grande Dame” design (retail price, $170).
As the voice of the industry, SAF fielded inquiries from reporters — including O’Shea and USA Today — and pointed them to Mother’s Day floral stats on SAF’s consumer website, AboutFlowers.com.
Have a Mother’s Day media story you want to share? We want to hear it. Email mwestbrook@safnow.org.
Want to brush up on your PR skills in advance of the next holiday? SAF has resources to help members shine.