PORTSMOUTH -- Chocolates and flowers and jewelry — oh my.
Shops around the Seacoast are preparing for that upcoming romantic holiday Feb. 14 by stocking their shelves with the perfect Valentine’s Day gifts.
At the Chocolatier in Exeter, shelves are stockpiled with decadent caramels, chocolate hearts, long-stemmed roses made of milk and dark chocolate, and the candy maker’s very special Snappin’ Turtle popcorn. Owner Jayne Welcome said the store provides “sweets for your sweet.” Several of the most popular heart-shaped boxes are filled with pre-selected candies, however, the store also allows customers to select their own candy arrangements.
Calling Valentine’s Day a “last minute holiday,” Welcome noted the shop will be open an extra day this Sunday and will stay open until 7 p.m. on Monday, to accommodate shoppers. The store at 27 Water St. also makes custom, chocolate-dipped strawberries that can be pre-ordered, she said.
Valentine’s Day is “in the top three holidays for confectioners,” Welcome said on Thursday, noting she expects the store will also do well on Feb. 15.
For those with a sweet tooth looking for pastry treat for their valentine, Wild Orchid Bakery in North Hampton specializes in cakes and pastries that not only taste good but are beautifully decorated.
Erin Gardner, owner of Wild Orchid, said cupcakes, in flavors ranging from standard vanilla to the exotic pink champagne, are among the most popular items.
Other top sellers are Gardner’s “mini-present” cakes that are covered in pink or chocolate icing and wrapped in a festive edible bow. “Anything people can share,” said Gardner about her most popular confections, “because it’s a holiday celebrated for two.”
Down the road from the bakery Thursday, customers browsed the glass cases at Quicksilver Fine Jewelry and Gifts on Lafayette Road in Hampton looking for that special gift for their valentine. That’s where Paul, of Seabrook, was shopping for a charm to add to his wife’s Pandora bracelet. Paul said he bought the bracelet for his wife around this time last year. As he looked over the jewelry store’s glass cases, a snowflake charm caught his eye.
“I said to myself, ‘wow, look at that,’” he said.
Paul said Valentine’s Day is important “to show the ones you love that you really love them.”
“Jewelry always makes people happy,” said Sue Kennedy, a sales associate at the store. Quicksilver has customers of “all generations,” she said.
“There’s something for everyone here,” Kennedy said, acknowledging the Pandora bracelet is among the most popular items for the upcoming holiday.
In Portsmouth, Springer’s Jewelers’ store manager, Jenifer McClellan said the store’s most popular item is the sterling silver key pendants that come with or without engraved diamonds on them. The Market Street store’s other holiday items include a necklace with an “envelope” charm on it, signifying a love letter, and rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings featuring amethyst, since the stone represents February. Valentine’s Day is the second most popular holiday for jewelry sales after Christmas, McClellan said.
But nothing says Valentine’s Day like a fresh bouquet of red roses, the most popular flower of the holiday.
“The red rose represents classic true love,” said Betsy Scott, owner of The Flower Kiosk on Market Street in Portsmouth.
Scott’s customers range in age, from fathers who bring in their young sons to pick out flowers for their mothers, to teenagers and experienced flower shoppers. The staff loves to help customers.
“We guide (them) to pick the right flower for the right occasion,” she said. Scott travels to Boston Flower Exchange to hand pick all her flowers. Her shop strives to offer unique to classic flowers, from Leucadendron to roses. Flower are being delivered daily in preparation for Feb. 14, she said.
The Flower Kiosk will be open late Sunday night as employees prepare bouquets for Monday deliveries. After Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day is the second busiest holiday of the year for the shop.
“Everybody’s got a mother, but not everybody’s got a lover,” said flower designer Grae Garl.
But around town, men are preparing for the holiday in their own way. Bob, of Dover usually gives his wife a card and a gift of sorts. This year, Bob plans to surprise his wife with $100 worth of scratch tickets.
“She loves scratch tickets,” he said.
Dirk, of Greenland has been married for 26 years and usually gives a card to his wife and takes her out to dinner. This year, the couple will be spending the holiday in Las Vegas for a business trip they have turned into a vacation.
But Matthew, of Portsmouth, said he takes a different approach to the holiday: he and his wife typically exchange letters to each other, he said. He as well tries to do anything he can for his wife, such as cook breakfast and wash the dishes.
“You have to celebrate,” he said. “You just have to.”
But what does a woman give to the man she loves for Valentine’s Day?
“From a man’s perspective, a six pack of beer is the perfect present,” Matthew said. “A six pack or a sports T-shirt.”