You can buy love, after all

While the retail section of Hansen's Florist and Gifts was subdued on Monday, the work room in back revealed a different scene.

Employees were rapidly clipping stems, checking website orders, dressing elaborate floral arrangements. Shelves were filled with bouquets, the fridge packed with roses.

"This is the calm before the storm right now," said owner Danielle Hansen, as she spritzed a lavish bouquet.

They know the drill, preparing for the siege of Valentine's Day customers.

By Monday alone, the store had already tallied a couple hundred orders for the holiday, she said.

"The bulk come in the day of," Hansen said. "We have to have a ton of stuff made up for the walk-in people."

Valentine's Day isn't just about loving each other. It's about giving the economy a nice hug, too.

Flower and candy stores in Kootenai County are enjoying the slam seen nationwide for the holiday where open wallets equal open hearts.

The average consumer will spend $130 on Valentine's Day purchases this year, according to the National Retail Federation. Total national spending is expected to reach $18.6 billion.

That's good news for Hansen, whose Coeur d'Alene store sees triple its usual sales in February.

"We probably do as many deliveries for the one day (of Valentine's Day) as we do in a month," Hansen said.

The store is well prepared.

Hansen has quadrupled her staff just to work the holiday. She has lined up six delivery trucks for the day, up from the usual one.

"It's huge for us," she said. "It's the second busiest holiday of the year, after Mother's Day."

Flowers aren't the only big sales item.

This time of the month, the phone is ringing constantly at Lather Salon and Spa, said owner Janelle Davies.

"We get people calling all the time, looking for packages or spa gifts," Davies said.

Typically the most popular is a $55 special, she said, where customers can pick items like a massage.

The holidays boosts sales at her store about 30 percent, she said.

Some people just want to give those they love some time to themselves, she explained.

"It's a nice way to give somebody a gift of pampering," Davies said. "Because women don't do that much for themselves."

Some Valentine's Day bonanzas are less obvious.

Papa Murphy's stores are swamped with orders for the chain's HeartBaker pizza, a heart-shaped pie, reported spokesperson Stacey Hilton.

The idea, she stated, is that some couples prefer to celebrate their love by throwing a pizza in the oven and hanging out with the kids.

"The company capitalizes on the new trend of staying home with the family on Valentine's Day, especially when it falls on a school night," Hilton stated.

But some classics never die.

Chocolate isn't going out of style as a top Valentine's Day gift, said Dave Davey, head chocolatier at Coeur d'Alene Chocolates.

"Women love chocolate. That's all there is to it. Eighty-five percent of our clientele are women," Davey explained. "It makes it really easy for guys to get something they're going to like for sure."

The company's sales quadruple for the holiday, he estimated.

The family-owned business stocks up materials for the rush before Christmas, he said. The company's hand-made chocolates are prepared as early as possible.

"The (business') first Valentine's Day was very stressful," Davey said, recalling a few years back. "We literally put in 100-hour weeks."

Staff has a better handle on the holiday now, he said.

And the company is nothing but grateful for the demand of romantic goodies.

"The coolest thing for us about Valentine's Day is people are thinking about chocolates," Davey said. "We certainly appreciate all the business."