Chocolate and flowers

PRINCETON — Though some Bureau County residents may wait until today, Tuesday, to buy their Valentine’s Day gifts for loved ones, area businesses have been thinking Valentine’s Day for weeks.

On Monday, Julia Cain, owner of Flowers by Julia in Princeton, said Valentine’s Day is definitely an important single-day holiday for her floral business, second only to Mother’s Day. The flower coolers, cases and shelves are well-stocked with plenty of gift items for the last-minute shopper. She’s been ordering extra flowers and supplies from her producers and companies for the last week or more, Cain said.

To get ready for the Valentine’s Day rush, Cain said she has hired extra staff to handle the phone calls and orders, to design floral arrangements and make deliveries. Fortunately, most of her extra staff are previous employees who come back to help at busy times, like Valentine’s Day, she said.

To determine how many flowers to order each year from her suppliers, Cain said she looks at the previous year’s records and goes from there. Also, if Valentine’s Day falls during the work week, orders and deliveries are usually greater than for a weekend Valentine’s Day, when people may go away for the weekend or just go out for dinner.

Another consideration when planning for Valentine’s Day is always the weather, Cain said. If the weather is bad on Valentine’s Day, people may not be able to get out to the shops as easily. Fortunately, with this year’s holiday being during the work week and with the winter being mild, it should be a good Valentine’s Day for the shoppers and for businesses, she said.

Red roses continue to be many people’s favorite choice of flower, though some people prefer their roses in other colors, like yellow. Other shoppers will want a mixed arrangement with roses and other flowers like carnations and lilies, while other people prefer to go for a spring look with tulips and irises, she said.

On a personal note, Cain said she’s already received her Valentine’s Day gift this year from her husband, Mayor Keith Cain, who gave her a gift basket Sunday from Good Scents in Princeton.