What Every Retail Florist should know about their Wholesaler
What does 40 years on the wholesale side of the flower business teach you about being a better retail florist? Vonda and Lori sit down with Katy Miller AAF, who spent four decades at Dillon Floral in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania — rising from the greenhouse floor to vice president — and now serves as Director of Sales at Flower Clique. Her perspective on the retailer-wholesaler relationship is exactly what shops need in a season when getting flowers has never been harder.
From "work with flowers" to vice president
In 1978, Katy answered a newspaper ad that simply said "work with flowers." She was hired at Dillon Floral, a fifth-generation wholesale florist and grower, and started in potted plant production — back when poinsettias, potted mums, and houseplants were flying out the door. Over 40 years she worked sales and management across all three departments, and in 1998 became vice president. Her favorite proof of those roots: when a new hire in a sweltering summer greenhouse would grumble that she had no idea what it was like to work out there, a longtime employee would look up and say, "Yeah, she does." She retired 40 years to the day after she was hired — then came out of retirement when Vonda, whom she'd once hired as a designer for Dillon's educational events, called with an idea she couldn't pass up.
The relationship is everything
Asked for her words of wisdom from the wholesale floor, Katy doesn't hesitate: the most important thing retailers and wholesalers can have is a healthy, positive, open relationship. Be honest about why the flowers didn't arrive on time. Be honest when you weren't happy with the quality. When that honesty exists from the start, it's much easier to pick up "that 100-pound phone" when a problem hits — and problems will hit.
Her other big rule: don't set each other up for failure. Instead of promising a bride one specific salmon-colored peony, sell a look. Tell her you'll make her day beautiful, and give your wholesaler room to source what's actually available. You take stress off everyone — the wholesaler, your team, and yourself — and 18 months into the pandemic, most successful shops have already made that shift: you can have the flower or the color, but nobody can promise both.
Why your wholesaler is asking about Valentine's Day in July
When Flower Clique members vented about getting pre-book letters for next year's Valentine's containers, the hosts asked Katy to play devil's advocate. Her answer: think about the manufacturer who had to make that rule. The pressure starts at the source — production timelines, overseas shipping, and a supply chain short on truck drivers, pilots, and cargo space in every industry. She shared a story from the news about a New Jersey cheese seller who normally receives two containers a week from Italy: he got nothing for nearly ten weeks, then eight containers arrived at once. Perishable products and backed-up shipping are a brutal combination, and your wholesaler is just as frustrated as you are.
Her prescription is simple: stop assuming everyone knows what the other part of the industry deals with. Learn what happens in the wholesale cooler and on the farm in Colombia, and let your wholesaler learn what happens in your shop. Understanding breeds empathy, patience, and better business.
Follow me to a local florist
One of Katy's favorite projects came to her sitting in traffic: Dillon's delivery fleet crossed four states every day, but since a wholesaler doesn't sell to the public, advertising Dillon itself made no sense. So she partnered with the Society of American Florists on van decals that promoted the industry instead — "Follow me to a local florist," "Flowers are global, florists are local," and her favorite, "Keep your friends close and your florist closer." She was championing "local" long before it became a buzzword — because a local wholesaler only survives if local retail florists do.
Key takeaways
- Build an honest, open relationship with your wholesaler before you need it — hard conversations are easier when trust already exists.
- Sell a look, not a specific stem. It protects your margins, your wholesaler, and your customer's expectations.
- Pre-book requests that feel absurdly early are driven by manufacturers and global shipping delays — plan with your wholesaler, not against them.
- Take time to learn how the other side of the industry works; empathy makes every supply hiccup easier to navigate.
- Share photos of finished events with your wholesaler — they rarely see the beautiful end result, and it strengthens the relationship.