LA's California Flower Mall reopens just in time for Mother's Day

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A crush of shoppers who were hoping to show their appreciation for their moms packed the California Flower Mall in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday.

The coronavirus pandemic shut down the flower industry in mid-March, but it has been allowed to reopen just in time for the holiday weekend.

"Mother's Day is the largest day of the year for the wholesale industry, the floral industry," said Mark Chatoff, CEO of the California Flower Mall. "It represents 60% of their revenue on an annual basis."

Shops must abide by city and state guidelines. Inside, shoppers were required to wear a mask or they were provided with one.

There were physical distancing measures in place, but at times they seemed hard to follow, given the size of the crowds. At one point, the mall had to close its doors to thin out the crowd.

For many shoppers, the reopened mall was a relief even as their options began to run low.

"This is my wife's first Mother's Day so I had to make it kind of special," said shopper Daniel Calderon of Compton.