Small businesses are feeling the love as they gear up for one of the busiest days of the year.
Flower shops, bakeries, fine-dining restaurants, and boutiques in the surrounding North Shore communities are in full force with preparations for Valentine’s Day. Whether it’s assembling bouquets or whipping up dinner specials, it’s nonstop for these shops until the beloved holiday is over.
“It’s a great day in here, we love every minute of it because it’s a lot of fun,” said Paulette Brophy of Flower House in Marblehead. “I love seeing everyone come in with smiles on.”
The flower shop located on Pleasant Street has been spreading love through flower arrangements for over 10 years. Their week leading up to the big day consists of getting the shop ready and decorated, organizing flower orders, and assembling their red rose bouquets, which is their biggest seller.
“We usually have 10 employees on that day, making sure it’s all ready for when customers come in,” she said. “They expect it to be ready, so you have to be ready.”
D’Orsi’s Bakery & Delicatessen in Peabody has been in business on Washington Street for more than 25 years. Michael, Anita, and their daughter Ali D’Orsi have spent Valentine’s Day for the past two decades spreading love in the form of heart-shaped cookies, cakes, and cheesecakes.
“It’s always busy, brings in a nice crowd, so we have stuff out as early as the week before, and it will be busy all throughout next week,” said the D’Orsi heiress. “We have long-stem rose cakes, chocolate-covered strawberries as our most popular items.”
Slay N’ Glam, Lynn’s newest makeup boutique on Market Street, is celebrating its first Valentine’s Day as a business. Shop owners Genesis Grullon and Katherine Peguero started their preparations in late January.
“With the makeup bouquets, we’ve been having to get ready for them and, since they’re by order, we require every customer to order it with a 50 percent deposit down, depending on the bouquet they want to do,” said Grullon.
There are three different sizes of bouquets, all filled with makeup necessities, handpicked Valentine’s Day cards, and elegant chocolates. The prices depend on the bouquet size with the smallest being $50, then $75, and the largest being $100. The makeup connoisseurs are also offering $50 bookings for ladies looking to get their makeup done for the big day.
“Guys are loving it because they’re like, wow, this is so easy for me, I don’t need to do anything, a makeup bouquet is the ultimate gift,” said Grullon.
La Vita Mia in Saugus, which has been around for 20 years, is more than ready to chef it up for one of the busiest days of the year. The family-owned restaurant on Hamilton Street has been doing it for so long, it’s nothing but a Saturday night rush to them at this point, according to owner Danny Desimone.
“Our special will be stuffed veal chop, with tiramisu and red velvet cannolis for dessert, said Desimone. “On Valentine’s Day, usually when it falls in the middle of the week, it’s all the younger kids and people who are dating and still in love, then the older married couples usually come on Saturday night. We love to hate it, but it is fun.”
Whether you are a fan of Valentine’s Day or not, the boom in profit that small businesses gain just might be enough to boost the economy. Either way, it’s hard to say no to dinner specials and delicious assortments of baked goods and chocolate.
