Franda and Rick Newkirk’s flower shop, Noble Flower Shop, is calm and peaceful right now. 

The two owners have slowly and patiently been preparing for Valentine’s Day. 

On their shelves, hundreds of vases are reserved for the flowers that come in for the holiday. 

In the back of their shop, they have a big freezer, which will store extra bouquets of flowers for customers who call in at the last minute. 

But even with their extra precautions, Valentine’s Day is still one of the most stressful holidays of the year, Franda Newkirk said.

“Christmas is a calm holiday, but Valentine’s Day, well, it’s Valentine’s Day,” Franda Newkirk said. “People wait until the very last minute to order flowers, but you can’t blame them for that.” 

Last year they went into work on the 13th of February and stayed in the store until 9:30 p.m. on Valentine’s Day.  

Rick Newkirk said the orders just kept pouring in throughout the afternoon.

Both of the Newkirks said the incorporation of computers in their business has altered the way they deal with orders. 

Franda Newkirk has made a website with many different floral arrangements, but she said those templates do not matter when customers are very particular about what they want.

“No matter what you prepare for, you never know what to expect from people,” Franda Newkirk said. 

After handling flowers with thorns and having to submerge his hands in water almost everyday, Rick Newkirk’s palms are covered in scars and calluses.

Franda Newkirk manages the orders that pile up during the days and hours leading up to Valentine’s Day. 

She was going through her data on two computers at the same time to manage her orders. 

They started opened up their business 30 years ago, and will be celebrating their 30th Valentine’s Day this year. 

Franda Newkirk was working as dental hygienist in a time when finding a job in her profession in Charleston was hard, Newkirk said. 

So she took a job at a flower shop to make ends meet. 

After working there sometime, Franda Newkirk said the owner of the shop proposed that she and her husband purchase the business. 

Since the day they purchased the business, the couple said Valentine’s Day has always been a holiday full of surprises.

Their orders always pile up rapidly, but sometimes the weather becomes an obstacle that pushes back their delivery schedule. 

Rick Newkirk recalled a Valentine’s where Charleston where the snow storm kept them up till midnight the next day trying to get customers their flowers. 

He said it was one of the most stressful Valentine’s Day they have ever experienced in their time with the business. 

Franda Newkirk also said there was a Valentine’s Day where there were hardly any orders, leaving them with a surplus of flowers. 

Newkirk said Eastern had let students out on a Friday, with Valentine’s Day being over the weekend.

She said they were forced to give away some of the flowers. 

“We went around and gave them to sororities and some of our friends,” Franda Newkirk said. 

Jaime Lopez can be reached for 581-2812 or jlopez2@eiu.edu.