OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — It was last August when a fire burned through stores including Stems Florist's 2-month-old location off 120th and Blondo.
Store owner Laura Novacek says Stems hasn't missed a single day since the fire. Novacek and her employees found a temporary spot just a few doors down at that same strip mall after the fire. This comes after sharing the same space with the competition just down the street.
Novacek was hoping to be in the brand new Stems location nearby just in time for Mother's Day.
"We couldn't quite make that deadline," Novacek said. "It's kind of hard working out of this location because we didn't know how busy we were going to be."
Stems is keeping up with so many orders for Mother's Day that they had to rent out a trailer built with a cooler to keep flowers fresh. And they've made things work inside using four milk coolers and limited space to keep up with demand during their one of their busiest holidays, which also includes Valentine's Day.
"We've had hundreds of deliveries in the last couple of days," Novacek said. "I've been doing this this for 30 years and this is one of the most difficult years we've ever had because we are so busy."
The handful of Stems employees say they've kept a positive attitude working in close quarters.
Last minute shoppers were in full bloom, picking up that popular mother's day gift. Stems made it through this holiday. As for the next one, they hope to be in their new location.
"We will have the space to work and not be on top of each other, but I can't complain because other people were not able to continue operating like we were," Novacek said.
Some of those shop owners speculated that electrical issues caused the fire. Stems says their new location will be near that same strip mall around 120th and Blondo.
