Valentine’s Day a Busy, but Sweet Holiday for Merchants

Candy maker Adrian Solano’s relationship with chocolate is strictly platonic. Flower shop employee Neil Wythe’s hands sometimes get pricked when he tries to remove the thorns from long-stemmed roses. And the owner of the Love Boutique wishes every day was Valentine’s Day.

Still, for Valley merchants dealing sweets, flowers and lingerie, the rainy Monday before Valentine’s Day wasn’t so bad: For example, as a friend of Neil’s pointed out, each thorn in the finger led to another finished bouquet.

“In the 24 hours before Valentine’s Day, we won’t be sleeping,” said Neil’s boss, John Glebocki, owner of A Touch of Romance Flower Shop in Sherman Oaks. “There will be somewhere between 350 and 400 people stopping in (today). It’s going to be crazy.”

To prepare for the expected Valentine’s Day massacre, Neil, 17, and his best friend, Cayden Matthes, 16, spent most of the day sitting on plastic buckets, scraping thorns from roses. Not a great way to spend a day, they agreed, but not so terrible either.

“There’s always pretty women around a flower shop,” said Neil, smiling. His friend nodded. “And of course, we can always get flowers for Valentine’s Day, if we need to. Girls like that.”

Over at the Candy Factory in North Hollywood, Adrian Solano may spend 40 hours a week making chocolate goodies, but that doesn’t mean he has to eat the stuff.

“No, I don’t like it too much,” he said. “Even before I started here, I didn’t eat it much.”

But certainly Solano plans on taking some home to his girlfriend, doesn’t he?

“Naw,” he replied. “She doesn’t need it. Makes you fat.”

All around him were stacked 1 1/2-pound solid chocolate hearts, boxes with a dozen chocolates shaped like long-stemmed roses, chocolate bars, chocolate nuggets, white chocolate, mint chocolate, orange chocolate, molds for chocolate and more.

Even chocolate-covered potato chips.

And as busy as Valentine’s Day is at the small operation on Riverside Drive, the holiday ranks only third behind Easter and Christmas as a chocolate-buying holiday, said the shop’s owner, Frank Sheftel.

“This is the most romantic time though,” he said.

But not for himself. “I have no significant other,” Sheftel said, “but I am looking. However, whoever I do meet must like chocolate.”

Meanwhile, across town at the Love Boutique in Tarzana, it was lingerie, sex toys and other strictly adult fare that was packing them in.

“People know we’re the Valentine’s Day headquarters,” said store owner Judy Levy, between greeting customers. “This is a place where you can ask questions about the things we sell, where everyone feels comfortable, men and women.”

“Valentine’s Day is a day where a little more risk can be taken,” she said, explaining the number of shoppers buying lotions, oils, and other sensuality enhancing items in the store. “It’s a day that society gives its OK to for expressions of love.”