Business is booming at Open Air Flowers in downtown San Luis Obispo. The store fills the sidewalk with bright colors and beautiful bouquets, but even the most successful small businesses can't escape the reality of the 2022 economy.
Like many other businesses, Open Air Flowers is increasing their prices to keep up with the rising costs.
"So for the first time in several years, we raised our delivery prices not by a lot, but by a couple of dollars," Lisa Marie Dietz, Open Air Flowers Owner.
Despite having to raise prices, Dietz said business is doing quite well and they have not had to decrease the delivery radius.
"We're still serving the same area, so we go everywhere within San Luis city limits and Avila and Shell Beach," said Dietz.
There are many factors affecting price increases.
"It's due to the high gas prices, inflation, and flower prices have been going up pretty much since the pandemic," said Dietz.
Just down the street, Albert's Florist is also implementing small price increases.
"Very little changes," said Barkev Abadjian, Albert's Florist Owner.
Flower shops across the city are working to keep those price increases as low as possible.
"We are trying to absorb some of it. Most of it," said Abadjian.
However, for Albert's Florist part of that cost absorption means decreasing the delivery radius, but not by much.
"Sometimes we have deliveries that are really, really far away. We try to avoid those, but most of the time it's almost the same," said Abadjian.
