ASD Gifts and General Merchandise

about them,” Tiller said.

Gifts have always been part of the equation at Swiss Flower and Gift in Wheat Ridge, Colo., according to Owner Heidi Haas-Sheard . Her parents started the business as a traditional flower shop over 50 years ago, and Haas-Sheard expanded the operation beyond flowers. She bought the building, whittled away at it, and brought in the gifts - “About 32 years ago, the gift selection here was pretty tacky—dried flower arrangements, gift baskets, your traditional gifts. I expanded and started bringing in some artwork, nicer vases, food products. You have to be careful, but also believe in what you’re selling and have a vision of how you’re going to incorporate it [the gift]. Stuffed or plush animals have to be able to attach to a fresh flower arrangement—it can’t be too big. You have to find things that make it easy for the person to say yes [to the gift]. The other important thing—you have to like what you sell,” Haas-Sheard explained. “We do well with Swedish cloths [a cross between a paper towel and dish cloth] and 3D puzzles. We sell some accessories like handbags. We don’t get into clothes much because it’s so hard

“We really like to be involved with our community. The way our shop works—we have the gift section up front and the design table in the back. We’re out here making flowers and engaging with customers. We like to be part of the neighborhood and surrounded by pretty things.” to factor in sizes. We carry a lot of home décor—lamps, artwork, furniture pieces. The key is to be diversified.”

Other florists opt for more of a “niche” gift selection. Luv It Gift & Flower Shop in Lincoln, Neb., stocks “Christianbased gifts. Wall hangings, figurines. Terrariums are also one of our specialties,” said Tony Kohles , co-owner of Luv It with fiancé Thu Tran. “People do like to give a gift with the flowers. My fiancé is the florist and I like the Christian-based gifts, so when we opened [in May 2021], we wanted to have both. We’ll create a fruit basket for someone moving into a new house, or for men’s birthdays or other occasions we’ll create a snack basket or fruit basket.”

Customers may not realize a florist also sells gifts, especially if they are taking advantage of online ordering or contact-less delivery. Retailers say it’s important to make the gift selections visible and make customers aware of what’s available. “In general, we try to put the gifts into the mix so people are reminded we carry these items. When we’re working with someone, the gift is usually an add-on. We know the occasion, so we can make a good recommendation for a

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