NORMAN — Among the various images the phrase “Valentine’s Day” might conjure in one’s mind, probably the most immediate is the iconic dozen roses and heart-shaped box of chocolates.
It’s a combination so ubiquitous that it is something of a cliché, but local business owners and Valentine’s Day veterans like Maurice Galoob of The Candy Basket and Richard Mayeaux of Design 2000 Flowers and Gifts know exactly what to expect.
Galoob and his wife, Gyan, have owned and operated The Candy Basket at 2001 W. Main St. in the Carriage Plaza Shopping Center for more than 20 years. This year’s Valentine’s Day will be their 22nd at their current location.
Mayeaux, owner of Design 2000 Flowers and Gifts at 302 N. Porter Ave., is also a seasoned businessman, having worked in floral design for 12 years.
Both business owners agree that Valentine’s Day is one of the most overwhelming in numbers alone.
As of Sunday, Mayeaux said he had “hundreds” of bouquet orders to fill, and Galoob’s chocolate displays were delectable but significantly more scant than usual.
Top sellers? Red roses and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates.
“I’ve refilled this display three times today,” Galoob said, motioning to a three-tiered display of red satin heart boxes full of Godiva chocolates. “It will probably be almost empty by the end of the day.”
Mayeaux’s clientele is similarly consistent.
“Every year, it’s the dozen red roses,” he said. “Male shoppers especially gravitate toward it.”
Due to the spike in demand, store owners like Galoob and Mayeaux must prepare well in advance of the holiday to accomodate last-minute shoppers, account for the expenses of longer hours and much bigger orders from their suppliers.
“We start planning about three months in advance,” Mayeaux said, calling the business’s expenses for the holiday “huge.”
“I have five or six extra staffers just for Valentine’s Day and by the time it’s over, we’ll have worked about 625 hours combined,” Mayeaux said.
At The Candy Basket, preparations for Valentine’s Day begin a year in advance, with a massive supply order seven to eight times bigger than a normal one, according to Galoob.
“Valentine’s Day and Christmas are probably about equal in terms of the magnitude, but Valentine’s Day is the most intense because it’s very short and the shopping is concentrated to a few days as opposed to a month,” Galoob said.
Both businesses have product shipped from overseas, with French confections gracing the shelves of The Candy Basket and flowers at Design 2000 from Africa and Holland.
Workload aside, the holiday is the time to shine for businesses like Mayeaux’s and Galoob’s, whose expertise is the key to a presentation with that special, personal touch.
“We do custom gift bags and boxes, which are popular because customers can pick what goes in them. They’re also less extravagant than gift baskets because there’s no labor fee,” Galoob said.
“I always ask male customers how many times they’ve bought their girlfriend or wife red roses, and if it’s been three or four times consecutively, I try to steer them toward something else,” Mayeaux said with a laugh.
Caitlin Schudalla 366-3541 cschudalla@ normantranscript.com
