WACO, TX — Reed's Flowers in downtown Waco is now in its 90th year. For Debbie Reed, flowers are the family business.
"Opened in 1930, March 1930. My grandparents opened it and then my dad ran it for 50 or 60 years and now it's me. I've been here every day since '94 I guess," Reed told 25 News the shop is open every day but Sunday.
"My people deserve a day of too, I figure."
But there are always those last-minute shoppers for Valentine's Day.
"There's always somebody coming, begging please, please. I'm like sorry, I don't have any left usually. One year there was a line all the way out the door. It was crazy."
When the pandemic first hit, she said getting flowers from wholesalers became a big challenge for a couple of weeks. Coronavirus also changed her customers' needs.
"We're doing a lot more funeral work for sure."
Deliveries are up too, and they are now contactless.
Just like the sign says, they have flowers for all occasions, but Valentine's Day is their busiest single day of the year.
"Whereas Mother's Day is a whole like crazy week."
After decades on the job, every once in a while, she will still get a request that is surprising.
"Somebody asked for a teddy bear be made out of flowers."
This isn't the time to be asking for stuff like that.
"We're trying to get out a lot of stuff so yeah that's not going to happen pretty much."
Your sweetheart will have to settle for a more traditional teddy bear. Luckily, she has those too, along with plans for the future of this Waco staple.
"I plan on making it to a hundred. I told my daddy, I want to make at least one hundred years and then I'll be 65 then. So, I don't really know what's going to happen after that."
Breaking records, not hearts.
Reed's Flowers is located at the corner of Austin Avenue and 11th Street in downtown Waco. You can find them online at reedsflowers.com.
