SMALL businesses are gearing up for the busy buying activities as people prepare for All Souls’ Day.

In the Carbon market, flower farmer and vendor Anabelle Nable, 44, said she preferred to sell her varieties of flora directly to consumers rather than selling them to suppliers.

“I have a flower farm in Barangay Pung-ol, Sibugay and I take care of several varieties of flowers that are bestsellers for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day,” she said.

Nable said she and her fellow flower farmers started to plant last July so they could harvest them just in time for the visiting of the dead.

She assured prices of the flowers in the market will remain as they are.

Prices

A bundle of puto-puto flowers that come in white and yellow colors is sold for P150. Staples like wonderwhite go for P80 per dozen and golden yellow flowers for P70, while baby’s breath goes for P150 per bundle and gladula white flower for P150 per dozen.

Flower vendor Naddie Oliverio, 44, said some of her suppliers were not able to provide her some varieties because of lack of water in the farming fields.

“Only a few of my suppliers were able to plant during the season. Some were not able to because of the El Niño, so we had to get our supplies from Manila and Cagayan de Oro,” she told SunStar Cebu.

Oliverio sells her roses at P150 per dozen for colors pink and red, while chrysanthemums are sold at P200 per bundle and wintergreen at P350 per bundle.

Basket, candles

Wicker basket vendor Jhannessa Abalo also expects high sales this year.

She sells baskets and flower foams to flower arrangers, but she noted that some of the hanging designs they have are not available because of the scarcity of a certain type of wood.

But she said sales always spike nearing All Souls’ Day.

“We get sold out during All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days,” she said. Prices of their products range from P20 to P35.

Business is also booming for candles and personalized services like flower arrangement.

Rommel Escamilla charges P350 per flower arrangement, while candle vendor Janine Pateres sees to it that she has both white and assorted colors of candles to sell.

White and small candles are priced at P75 for every 25 pieces, P90 for 50 pieces, P120 for big colored candles that are inside a glass, P60 for medium and P25 for small ones. Ten big candles are priced at P100 and P125 for every 25 medium-sized ones.

Grave beautification

Meanwhile, in the Carreta cemetery, tombstone painter Junior Bañez, 43, said he charges P350 for his services which include cleaning and painting graves.

Conrada Sumalinog, 77, who hails from Barangay Tinago, Cebu City, said she paid for lighting services of the cemetery for P300.

“It’s just once a year, and it’s a must to pay my respects to my dead husband,” she said.