Okay, relax. There’s still time for that last minute Mother’s Day gift or restaurant reservation.
And local merchants and restaurateurs are definitely saying God Bless moms everywhere.
For those in the gift industry, including florists and jewelry stores, the holiday can mean a big boom in sales.
Flowers for mom
Louis Mahony, owner of Jerome Florist and Gifts in Throggs Neck, said that Mother’s Day is absolutely the shop’s biggest holiday – “Bigger than Christmas or Valentine’s Day.”
Customers include kids buying gifts for moms, husbands buying for wives, grandmothers buying for daughters and vice versa, said Mahony.
“There’s a long list of people who need flowers,” he said.
The holiday also means a boom for local restaurants, including Don Coqui on City Island.
Craziest day
“It’s the craziest restaurant day of the year,” said Jimmy Rodriguez, whose kids run the restaurant. “Nobody wants mommy to cook on Mother’s Day.”
Rodriguez said the restaurant doesn’t take reservations because no one knows quite how long it will take to get there with City Island traffic, but the restaurant will begin filling up for lunch between 12 and 1 p.m. and will be packed throughout the day.
“Come early,” he said. “Because everyone has the same idea.”
While Christmas is the busiest time of year, Vito Caputo, owner of Caputo Jewelers in Morris Park, said Mothers Day is about on par with Valentine’s Day for sales.
Caputo has seen Mother’s Day trends come and go during the 33 years he has owned the shop. Mother’s rings with kid’s birthstones and engraved charms have given way to pendants with birthstones or monograms of their childrens’ initials.
“Mother’s Day gifts, in general, are a little bit of everything,” said Caputo.
Pre-order
Florist Mahony noted Mother’s Day bouquets or arrangements can range from $50 to $300, so it helps to let the salesperson know right away what you’re looking to pay.
Because of the high demand on Mother’s Day, Mahony said that people who want specific flowers should pre-order their arrangements, otherwise they may be out of luck.
“There’s always an insane rush because everyone waits till the last minute.”
But despite the hectic aspect to Mother’s Day in a flower shop, Mahony said he enjoys it each year.
“It’s nice when people come in and they’re all excited about it.”
