While the economic recession continues to take some of the financial bloom out of Manhattan's Flower District, merchants and customers alike are finding new ways to substitute simplicity for extravagance. NY1's Rebecca Spitz filed the following report.

At first glance, it seems there's decent foot traffic in the Flower District. But peek in the stores and you'll find plenty of foliage with hardly any buyers.

"It's a very, very hard time now. Very tough time," said Paradise Plant owner Sees Kumar.

Kumar's store has been open for 25 years. But while his inventory is blooming, Kumar says his business is not. He says the recession is keeping his customers away and that's affecting his bottom line, no matter what he does.

"We're open from six to six, that's 12 hours, like 7 days a week, we're open Sunday too," said Kumar.

Hard work and little profit seems to be the norm for the wholesale merchants on 28th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.

"We're still doing a lot of charity work, but as far as the corporate events side has gone, it has completely disappeared as of last year and that has affected 50 percent of our business," said Absolutely Wild owner Peter Cunningham.

With rent, employees and taxes to pay and customers loathing to spend money on a luxury item like flowers, some merchants say they're thinking carefully about how they pick and price their inventory.

"If people choose less expensive and you buy flowers for like 15, 20 dollars a bunch where you can sell? People ask for three dollar, two dollar flowers," said Rasid Mohamed, a flower merchant.

It seems merchants aren't the only ones who are hurting. Many people buying flowers say they're struggling too.

Event planner Dena Rogoff says she's cultivating a new set of money-saving skills.

"I find I'm trying to work with more economical flowers and just use filler-ins on the higher-end ones so I can achieve a nice look but not spend that much," said Rogoff.

Some floral designers who are used to pulling out all the stops say they're seeing clients tailor their expectations to meet the economic climate.

"They don't want to hear about lilies and orchids and beautiful centerpieces. People are retreating, they've got to do good at their daughter's wedding but not as luxuriously as it would have been," said John Grafenecker, a floral designer.

As desperate as things may seem now, flower merchants are hoping it won't be this way forever. While not optimistic about recouping their losses, many say they're committed to weathering the economic storm.