For many people, Valentine’s Day is an excuse to have a romantic and relaxing evening with a loved one.
But for some in State College, Valentine’s Day is anything but relaxing.
“It’s probably our single busiest holiday of the entire year,” says Lisa Haas of Woodrings Floral Gardens. “Our business probably goes up by something like 400 percent. It doesn’t just double or triple. It’s really out of this world.”
And though the “flower-candy-card holiday” is still a day away, Hass says she and her coworkers are well past the point of no return.
Valentine’s orders started trickling in last week but Haas says Monday was when the madness truly began, with orders flooding in through a constant stream of customers and phone calls. And she doesn’t expect the pressure to let up until the holiday passes.
Brooke Thomas, manager of George’s Floral Boutique, says there are two things that are really complicating her Valentine’s Day efforts this year: the cold weather, and the fact that the holiday falls on a Saturday.
When Valentine’s Day falls during the week, her staff delivers most of their flowers to offices and workplaces. But when it’s on a weekend, deliveries become more difficult because customers need flowers delivered at specific times – and they can’t just be left on someone’s porch, or else they’ll freeze in the frigid February cold.
But despite the frantic frenzy of keeping everything in stock and coordinating deliveries, Thomas actually enjoys working on Valentine’s Day orders.
“I love working with some of the kids that come in here,” Thomas says. “It’s like their first Valentine’s Day with their mom or sister helping them, and I take it very personally trying to explain what goes into a good arrangement. There’s kind of a cool art to it.”
But what’s a Valentine’s Day with just flowers?
Valerie Edmiston, assistant plant manager with the Lewistown-based Asher’s Chocolates, knows how much the demand for chocolate (preferably in heart-shaped boxes) increases for Valentine’s Day.
So she’s partnered with the Nittany Mall to open a temporary location for the local chocolate producer, offering State College romantics one more place to pick up something sweet for their sweethearts.
“We plan to be in the mall for Valentine’s, Easter and Christmas,” Edmiston says. “We’re talking about the possibility of moving in on a more permanent basis, but nothing is set yet.”
Bill Speakman, owner of the Boalsburg Chocolate Company, has worked in the candy industry for decades and opened his local shop seven years ago. Though he’s had plenty of practice preparing for Valentine’s Day, he says things can still get “a little crazy” as the orders start picking up.
Speakman has to make sure he’s fully stocked on his usual wares – which includes everything from chocolate truffles to locally-produced wines – as well as preparing a seasonal specialty: chocolate covered strawberries, made in-house for Valentine’s Day.
But despite the extra work that it brings, Speakman says he’s fan of Valentine’s Day.
“I think it’s a great day,” he says. “Anytime you remind someone that you love them is great, whether that’s Valentine’s Day or just some Tuesday morning.”
