Designing romantic displays, one stem at a time
Wayne Susa sees Valentine’s Day as a weeklong celebration.
“It’s Valentine’s week for us,” Wayne said. “I don’t like it when I hear people call it ‘Valentine’s Day.'”
Wayne and his wife Betty Susa have co-owned the downtown Moscow flower shop, Scott’s House of Flowers, for 29 years, but have been in the floral industry much longer. Before moving to Idaho in 1986, they owned another flower shop in Montana for 13 years, Betty said.
Jackson Flynn | Rawr
Owner of Scott’s House of Flowers Betty Susa. Scotts House of Flowers is located on Main Street and has been serving the Palouse for over 40 years.
“We raised our kids in flower boxes,” Betty said. “Literally, ‘cause they came to work with us.”
Scott’s House of Flowers is a family-run business, and Wayne said the shop normally operates with a fairly low number of staff.
The Susa’s are used to the longer hours that come with a small staff. But Betty said the month of February is an exception. According to her, they hire about 12 extra workers — more than double their normal staff — to accommodate for the Valentine’s rush.
It’s no surprise Valentine’s Day is the shop’s most popular holiday. According to Betty, the holiday far surpasses the two other holidays people often buy flowers for — Christmas and Mother’s Day. Wayne said the biggest rush of customers comes the week before Valentine’s Day, with a large amount of the sales coming on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14. He said they normally get a few customers who also order their flowers earlier or even the week following the holiday, for various reasons.
While men are definitely their most common demographic of customer this time of year, Betty said their shop usually sees a steady influx of children and women too. They buy flowers for their mothers, teachers or friends.
Jackson Flynn | Rawr
Wayne Susa, owner of Scott’s House of Flowers, prepares a boquet
Scott’s House of Flowers offers special Valentine’s Day flower arrangements during the month of February. Wayne said those items are popular right now, along with roses, lilies and mixed bouquets.
Betty said she always takes a customer’s personal story behind their purchase into account, because it often affects the flowers or design they want.
Betty said their first priority has always been customer service at Scott’s House of Flowers, which is why she thinks their customers recommend them to their friends later on. The couple said they have experienced every possible facet of the floral industry, and they don’t just do floral arrangements for Valentine’s Day, either. All year long, Betty and Wayne help put together arrangements for any occasion a customer comes to them for.
“Our motto has always been: If you can describe it, we can design it,” Betty said.
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected]