Bringing a splash of color to Valentine’s Day

“We just keep making them all day,” said Kathie Repetto.

But even with the steady stream of customers flocking to the shop, Kathie Repetto always seems to make time to ask regulars how they’re doing and offer customers flower care suggestions. A few simple questions about a customer’s budget, preferred flowers and the message they want to include with their blooms is all it takes for Kathie Repetto to home in on the arrangement that will make its recipient smile.

“OK, we got it,” she told one customer phoning in a request for a Wednesday delivery. “We’ll make it real pretty for her.”

To fill the influx of requests they receive in mid-February, the team Kathie and David Repetto has assembled stays busy, trimming the stems of bright yellow mums, gauzy white baby’s breath, leafy greens and the Valentine’s Day must-have — red roses. Though they grow everything from brightly colored amaranthus to deep purple and blue larkspur and delphinium and even silvery dusty miller to provide filler for their arrangements, Kathie Repetto said most customers have their eye on one bloom and one color for Valentine’s Day.

“It’s definitely a red rose holiday,” she said.

And though they are able to create same-day arrangements, Kathie Repetto said many customers choose their own palette of colors from the array of $3 bunches they keep in a refrigerated room. Having several options for customers to choose from allows the Repettos to ensure everybody finds something beautiful that also fits within their budget, whether it’s a custom or a mixed bouquet, which she said starts at $19.95. And Kathie Repetto doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to a card or a box of chocolates to round out an order.

“The best part is having a huge variety and price points for everybody,” she said. “We try to make it a one-stop shop.”

For Lynn Duarte, owner of Pescadero restaurant Duarte’s Tavern, coming to Repetto’s for red roses has become a Valentine’s Day tradition. She said giving each diner a rose when they walk into the restaurant has an immediate effect.

“Of course they love them,” she said. “They have beautiful flowers here.”

While Kathie Repetto fills orders in their Half Moon Bay shop, she said her husband has been busy helping customers and florists at their stall in the San Francisco Flower Mart. She said his parents began growing flowers at the farm in 1959 and opened the Half Moon Bay flower shop in 1973, so they know well the surges of customers accompanying the fall pumpkin season and the weeks leading up to Dec. 25, when Bay Area residents search for Christmas trees. But she said Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day top their busiest days, with many stopping at their business on their way to and from work.

Though employee George Bibbes said the flow of customers can feel like it’s nonstop, he enjoys helping them find the perfect flowers and guide them through care instructions. Acknowledging Repetto’s can arrange flowers in a pinch, Bibbes advises those who have just thought of picking up a bundle of blooms come by or order them early and change the water in their vases every day to keep them fresh. Bibbes said he is joining the Repettos in working extended hours this week, making the smiles they bring to their customers and their loved ones worth the effort.

“It’s actually a lot of fun,” he said.

On Wednesday, Feb. 14, Repetto’s Nursery & Florist will be open from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 12331 San Mateo Road.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106