BEAUCOUP BOUQUETS CONSUMERS SPENDING ON RECESSION-PROOF MOM.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

NORTHRIDGE - With many mugs of cappuccino and infinite patience, Marty Lavitt survived a grinding day of business Friday.

He owns the Wild Flower florist and his staff has been wading through numerous orders for red roses, potted plants and baby's breath. Mother's Day means a lot to retailers like him, providing a much-needed spike in business.

``We've been overwhelmed,'' he said, stealing a minute away from the crunch of clippers and swish of wrapping paper.

``When I came into work, the phone was ringing off the hook, there were three people waiting in line and it was a zoo. We have to hire extra drivers, designers and salespeople, it's so crazy.''

His staff swells by seven employees for the furiously paced week, but his business also goes up by a factor of four. With Mexican Mother's Day today as well as prom season in high gear, the shop was packed the entire day.

``It's a fun time of year, because people are ordering for their moms,'' he said. ``After all they do for the kids, it's payback time.''

The average shopper lays out $97 for the holiday, according to the National Retail Federation's latest survey. Eighty percent of Americans celebrate it, forgetting temporarily their economic woes and buying with abandon.

``The one good thing about Mother's Day is consumers open up their wallets for what's important to them,'' said Ellen Tolley, a spokeswoman for the trade group. ``And mom is important. Even though consumers are spending less these days, moms are recession-proof.''

Such was the case in Jerry Hurwitz's personalized gift shop Adele's II, where engraved glass boxes and inscribed mugs sold strongly. He likened the traffic in the Encino shop to Christmas Eve, a welcome influx of cash that allows him to catch up on his bills and prepare for lean summer months.

``I have no complaints,'' Hurwitz said. ``This is the best I've had in eight months. Right now, I've got 14 people in the store, which is lovely for my business. It's always been a good holiday in my store - this is like Christmas, but it's not long enough.''

And while people are out stocking up for their moms, they might find things they didn't even know they needed. The ancillary business can be just as important as the gifts, according to retail expert Richard Giss.

``It's important, because it brings people out,'' said Giss, a partner of consumer business practice with Deloitte & Touche's Los Angeles office. ``When you come to the store to buy something for your mother, you don't stop, you buy something for yourself. Any holiday that brings people in on a mission has a potential to increase their sales. Retailers need anything positive, so Mother's Day is a plus right now.''

An especially big plus for wholesalers like Carla Kimball: She handcrafts aromatherapy products in her Tarzana homes for sale in local boutiques, and she'll be working hard all weekend long.

``It's pretty crazy right now,'' she said Friday afternoon. ``People are getting products for their mothers, aunts, grandmothers and any pregnant women they know. Today and tomorrow, we see a lot of last minutes, and last year, we were even swamped on Mother's Day. Everyone wants just one more gift - last year, I had to cut roses out of my garden to use on the gifts just to keep up.''

Cutting roses, however, is no big deal for Tom Tomlinson. He figures his shop, Flowers by Tomlinson and San Fernando Mission Cemetery Florist, did 6,000 bouquets this week, with some shoppers not thinking twice about paying $75 for an arrangement.

``This time of year,'' he said, ``well, if you're not busy, there's something wrong.''

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(color) Featuring a slew of bouquets for Mother's Day, the Wild Flower in Northridge is among several retailers whose business grows for the holiday. The average shopper spends $97 on the holiday, which is Sunday.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News