Local florists and candy stores are all expecting a boost in sales during Mom’s Weekend. Shops have already seen an increase in orders and expect more.

“We’ve gotten more orders from kids for their parents,” said Rick Orr, owner of Rick Orr Florist, 112 N. Neil St. “Many are requesting blue or orange flowers.”

Past Mom’s Weekends have proven to be one of the busiest weekends for some shops. For florists on and near campus, it is second only to Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day.

“I see an increase in how many people walk in the door,” Orr said. “We have a lot of walk-ins, people just looking and shopping with their mothers.”

“There are a lot of families around,” said Ann Johnston, manager of Campus Florist, 609 E. Green St. “People come in here with their parents who tell me that they went to (the University) and that they remember how everything used to be.”

In preparation for the weekend, flower shops have a steady supply of orange and blue flowers, while candy stores and coffee shops are baking special cookies and cakes to be displayed.

“We plan on baking some cookie-cakes for the moms, ones that say Happy Mom’s Weekend,” said Emily Gardner, senior in LAS, who works for The Cookie Jar, 712 S. Sixth St. “They usually sell pretty well, because of all the people coming in with their moms.”

“We have specials on corsages and centerpieces, boutonnieres, house colors, orange and blue, anything they want,” Johnston said. “And you can’t tell one year from the next what they’ll need.”

Campus Florist supplies centerpieces and other floral arrangements to sororities and fraternities and experiences noticeable increases in orders as Mom’s Weekend approaches. House orders comprise a majority of the orders the shop receives.

“They just want to make the house look prettier,” Johnston said. “When you live in a sorority and you’re having a hundred mothers coming down, you want to make sure you get a hundred bouquets or corsages for those mothers. We also get orders from gals living in apartments for their moms.”

Lack of funds may keep students away, and stores fear the cost of candy and flowers may be too high for many students. They hope to lure parents and families instead.

“It’s a strange situation,” said Pete Hendricks, sales associate at Ruben’s Chocolate, 121 W. Church St. “It’s Mom’s Weekend and we may have more parents and people coming in and shopping, but students usually can’t afford us. They watch their money more carefully and can’t spend their money on luxuries.”

Other stores are offering discounts to counter this trend. Campus Florist offers discounts to students during Mom’s Weekend and almost all products are on sale. The more the student purchases, the greater the discount.

“We work with everyone that comes in the door,” Johnston said. “We don’t want anyone to be left out. Every mother deserves a little recognition.”