A shortage of flowers is forcing changes at some Myrtle Beach businesses. Florists and event planners said finding the right flowers has become a challenge in recent months with increased demand. They also said wholesalers are short on supply because of labor and distribution issues, meaning some might need to be flexible if a lot of flowers are required for an event any time soon.
Flowers By Richard owners Randy and India Rogers have been owners for the past three years. The shop has been in Myrtle Beach for three decades. They said they’ve had to do more work and gotten more creative than normal to get the flowers they need, sourcing flowers from Ecuador or Hawaii and overnight shipping them to Myrtle Beach. “We still have other sources, and so we still make it happen, so even though it may take us a little while longer than normal, we still can do it,” India Rogers said.
Debbie Benson co-owns Gigi Noelle Events and said she’s had difficulty taking delivery of flowers. “I put my orders in two to three weeks out, and I’m not getting them,” Benson said.
Benson said the shortage impacts weddings the most because brides often pay a year, even two, in advance for some of the flower arrangements. With prices at a premium, Benson said the high costs of securing specific flowers, unfortunately, have to be passed down to the customers.
“There’s nothing I can do,” Benson said. “Frequently, I’ll just have to say, ‘I’m really sorry, but I can’t get peonies.’ They’re $65 a bunch now, and that’s for 10. And you need a lot more than 10, so I’ll just have to explain to them that there’s just no way unless they want to up their budget, and most brides don’t really want to do that.”
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