Some New Yorkers scrambled Sunday to get mom a last-minute gift for Mother’s Day.

On the corner of Flatbush Avenue and St. Marks Avenue is a neighborhood deli, where many lined up to pick out the right floral bouquet.

“Nonstop then, nonstop then,” Sergio Alejandro Vega, owner of Flowers by Sergio, said. “You see people waiting like 10 minutes in the line.”

Vega said he’s been working around 18 hours for the last three days, prepping for Sunday’s rush.

“Apparently, a lot of guys have the same idea I do. Imagine that! But the line does go long as the day goes on, so the earlier the better,” Greg Yerman said while buying flowers for his wife.

It’s not just husbands, many young people also wanted to show mom she’s appreciated.

“I know that she likes the combination of the colors and the flowers,” Luisa Schneeweis Wilk said while buying flowers for her mother. “And, she doesn’t really like a big bunch. She likes small, different details.”

Nationwide, consumers are expected to spend around $33.5 billion this Mother’s Day, according to the National Retail Federation. While it’s a near-record amount of spending, it’s less than last year, which was $35.7 billion.

Federation data shows the most popular gifts to give are flowers and greeting cards. Nearly three out of every four Americans will do that.

“My wife doesn’t make it a big deal, but me and my kids we make it a big deal for my wife, so she appreciates that,” Yerman said.
Meanwhile, Schneeweis Wilk said she’s grateful for what her mother does year-round.

“She does a lot for our family every year, and so I think that it’s a nice way to celebrate her for everything that she does,” she said.

Federation data also breaks down American spending by category. The organization reports around $7 billion spent on jewelry, almost $6 billion on special outings, $3.5 billion on electronic gifts and $3.2 billion on flowers.

It can be a boost for the local economy as some New Yorkers turn to small businesses in their neighborhood for their gift-giving needs.

Vega said he lost his mother three years ago, however he wants to spread the love to his customers.

“I‘m happy to give flowers to people, to see, make them happy,” Vega said.

The flowers sold at his corner shop are sourced from all over the world.

Some traveled from as far away as Ecuador, Colombia and Holland before finding a new home for Mother’s Day — in Brooklyn.