JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Owners at both Anna Marie’s Florists and The Black Olive restaurant say Mother’s Day is one of their busiest days of the year.

“We always call Mother’s Day ‘The Olympics’,” said William Cate, owner of Anna Marie Florist in Johnson City. “Valentine’s Day is ‘Super Bowl’, and Mother’s Day is the Olympics.”

This is the first Mother’s Day that the Black Olive location in downtown Johnson City has been open.

“We know that especially with the weather being nice today, we’re going to be really, really busy,” said Kinsey Holliday, co-owner of The Black Olive Restaurant. “And we’ve got an awesome brunch menu from French toast to Monte Cristo to biscuits and gravy.”

Both businesses said they made a lot of preparations, taking weeks and sometimes months in advance, for this day.

“We have been taking orders for a few weeks now, whether it’s online or by phone,” said Brandon Robert, owner and floral artist at Anna Marie Florist. “And with all of that together, it’s really made for a really successful Mother’s Day season so far.”

“We start talking to our farmers and our distributors months in advance about what our needs are going to be,” said Cate.

Anna Marie Florist said they work in tandem with customers to make sure they’re able to fulfill special orders.

“Everyone kind of knows what their mom likes,” said Roberts. “So we’ve had customers that have called in asking for hydrangeas. They’ll ask for roses, of course, but we’ve even had people ask for buttercups and just things that might look like a buttercup or something, super wildflower-like.”

The Black Olive believes it’s important to provide a good dining experience for families on Mother’s Day.

“Mother’s Day is just a great time to celebrate your mothers and grandmothers and daughters and just all the females in your life that play such an important part in families, and taking care of everyone,” said Holliday. “And we just want to provide a nice atmosphere for people to come enjoy dinner and be together, and hopefully they have a great experience.”

The Black Olive has three different locations in the Tri-Cities. To see a list of dining hours click here.

Anna Marie Florist is open every day, minus Sundays. You can check their operating hours here.