Seth Stewart proposed to his girlfriend of four years mere weeks ago — but this Valentine’s Day he will be visiting dozens of other women.
Stewart, 34, is spending the day doling out roses to women across Spokane, Washington state, be they single, widowed or simply missing a romantic someone special in their lives.
Stewart’s tradition began in 2009 with four roses that he gave to his mother and three sisters. Two years later, he and his brother purchased two dozen roses to add their single friends to the list. By Valentine’s Day in 2012, the little gesture had turned into a community ritual.
“Single gal pals always complained they didn’t have anyone to spend it with and me and my brother also knew of a few women whose husbands were gone, sometimes recently deceased,” Stewart said. “So we just started buying roses and keeping our ears open.”
Stewart’s venture, Rose Rush, took on a new life in 2015 when he started a Facebook page so people could “nominate” recipients. In the years since, Rose Rush has had more than 500 nominations. This year there were about 120 and Stewart plans to honor each one.
“Valentine’s Day can either be a very good thing to people or a reminder that they don’t have anybody,” said Stewart. “It’s a holiday that elicits polar-opposite emotions, depending on your situation.”
Janis Lamont, who met Stewart after friends recommended his landscaping business, ended up on the Rose Rush annual list in 2023. It was the first Valentine’s Day gesture from a man in her life since the death of her husband of nearly 40 years.
When Stewart arrived at her door, the rose he held brought back memories.
“I met my husband at a bar — typical,” Lamont said. “He always got me a rose. He started Valentine’s Day right after I met him. Other things [too] but that was the one I remember the most. He gave me one when my daughter was born, when my granddaughter was born.”
She added: “It was very emotional and very nice the first time Seth did this and now I just look forward to it because it brightens my Valentine’s Day.”
February 14 can be particularly difficult for widows, Stewart said, recalling a request from a woman who asked the Rose Rush team to sign her mother’s card with her late father’s name.
“When she saw that, she broke down crying and crying. We get a lot of reactions each year,” Stewart said. “Having a gentleman show up at their door, bringing them a little bit of joy and a smile helps them remember that they’re not alone.”
Tawny Thompson, a friend of Stewart who has taken over the organisation of deliveries, has been a recipient and has also nominated close friends. She met Stewart 13 years ago at work and got a rose from him as a thank-you for covering his shift on Valentine’s Day so he could hand out roses.
“Valentine’s Day can be so daunting for some people. I’ve been single a lot and for years Seth would bring me a flower every Valentine’s Day. It just makes you feel like somebody cares and they’re thinking of you,” she said.
Tara Nolan, another recipient, said Stewart has “put Valentine’s Day on her radar”. She has had roses delivered to her home and office for at least the past ten years.
“You see everything online — [people] posting photos of their candies and flowers,” Nolan said. “And then to get an unexpected rose delivered to your place of work and you had no idea who ordered it for you. It makes you feel really special on a day that you wouldn’t usually.”
Stewart and a team of six drivers set out at 8am and spend at least 12 hours delivering roses. “They’re out there until dark sometimes,” Thompson said. “Eight at night, which is pitch black where we live, knocking on strangers’ doors to give them a little bit of joy for the day.”
While Thompson has planned a date with herself while she’s on holiday in Hawaii, she has created several routes that will hopefully make the team’s efforts a lot easier on Friday.
Meanwhile, Nolan and Lamont are expecting their roses with enthusiasm. “I’m very excited,” said Lamont. “I set my alarm so I’m up in time just in case it comes early.”
As for his own Valentine’s Day plans with his fiancée, Dani Noblit, Stewart has organised a romantic weekend getaway once he is past the “Rose Rush”.
“Luckily, she loves what I do and is very supportive. She knows women are going to be treated special and she’s all in for it,” he said. “Everyone in town knows me as ‘the rose guy’, it’s kind of just become a part of me.”
