Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 12, 1993 TAG: 9302120165
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHLEEN WILSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
CASH REGISTERS RING A HEART-Y TUNE
For florists, it makes about as much sense to close on Valentine's Day as it does to shut a bar on St. Patrick's Day.What the day after Thanksgiving is to department stores is what Valentine's Day is to florists and card shops - the biggest day of the year.
It's been a long time since all you needed on Valentine's Day was someone to share it with.
Today, the holiday is nothing less than colossal in what it means to retailers. If you've been out of the loop, here are some of the basic facts about Valentine's Day:
Remember the 12 days of Christmas? Commercialism now strikes in February as well. Some retailers are calling it Valentine's Week.
Flowers are close to mandatory. Tommy Thomas, manager of George's An Affair With Flowers in Roanoke, thinks he's ready. He's got 1,500 roses ready to go.
Any man who thought flowers were optional should practice getting down on his knees and groveling for forgiveness. You need to have perfected this by Feb. 15.
And, though it doesn't happen very often, with Valentine's Day on Sunday this week, shops that don't generally keep Sunday hours are assuming it's worth their while this weekend.
Still, many retailers are bracing for the unknown this year.
George's began delivering flowers for this holiday this week. But Thomas anticipates he'll get bruised today, Saturday and even Monday.
"Most people don't think we'll be delivering on Sunday the 14th," he said.
And that's why, despite the enormity of the occasion, Thomas cited an article in the Society of American Florists magazine that predicts a 20 percent to 25 percent drop in Valentine's Day sales, solely because it's on a Sunday.
"People wait until the last minute to order flowers," he said. "Without knowing we're delivering, they'll stop at Kroger, get their own roses, and deliver them themselves."
Marc Fink, president of Roanoke-based Fink's Jewelers, knows how last-minute spontaneity can spark a feverish buying blitz.
"Believe it or not, they wait until the very last minute to pick out a gift," he said.
And he said men are the primary shoppers for jewelry at Valentine's Day.
One peek inside a mall or department store shows how retailers have perfected the fine art of navigating men through the unfamiliar waters of the lingerie department or the cosmetics counter.
At the Leggett department store in Tanglewood Mall, there are signs throughout the store pointing out great ideas of what to get her.
Victoria's Secret, the national lingerie chain, is particularly male-friendly at its Valley View Mall store. He need not step any further into the shop than the large table next to the front entrance, where an assortment of holiday-appropriate unmentionables is displayed.
Restaurants also recognize the dollars Valentine's Day is likely to generate. Upscale eateries - La Maison, Alexander's and the Library - will open Sunday for dinner on a day they're usually dark.
But Russell Kidd, general manager at La Maison, said he sees no need to advertise the fact the restaurant will be open this Sunday.
"I have no doubt we'll be very busy," he said confidently.
There may be at least one business that doesn't expect to harvest extra sales from the holiday.
Ancient Art Tattoo Studio in Roanoke offers a lot of designs with heart motifs. A tattoo is, after all, the gift that keeps on giving.
But Ancient Arts' Danny Fowler doubts there'll be hordes of men and women beating down his door for the holiday.
"Not unless there's a full moon," he said.