By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
With Valentine’s Day coming up Saturday, local retailers have mixed reports of their anticipated sales.
Florists in particular said they had been hit hardest by the weak economy, but not everyone is hurting.
Restaurants in Bordentown City seem set to benefit because the holiday falls on a Saturday this year.
Marcello’s Restaurant and Pizzeria on Farnsworth Avenue already was nearly fully booked Friday, according to manager Vincent Minerva.
“It looks like people want to come out,” he said.
Almost 30 businesses will participate in the city’s “Chocolate Walk” on Friday, Feb. 13.
Mak Kieffer, of the Downtown Bordentown Association, said the event is timed to draw business over the holiday weekend.
“Stores and restaurants are going to offer free chocolates of some sort to anybody who comes into their establishment,” she said. “It’s like a pub crawl, but for chocolate.”
Business in the first quarter of the year is generally slow, Ms. Kieffer said, and “this year a little calmer than usual.”
The event, she said, will give locals a reason to go outside and also will afford those without a Valentine the opportunity to treat themselves.
Her shop, on Farnsworth Avenue, will offer homemade chocolate cookies. Marcello’s will offer an all-chocolate menu on the holiday with items such as white chocolate coconut milk and spicy peanut soup.
Just down the street, Shoppe 202 also will offer a number of goodies, including chocolate martinis.
Thomas Moyer, co-owner of the antique, framing and gift store on Farnsworth Avenue, said business has been up over last year. The store is stocking Valentine’s Day candles and glass.
But not everyone is so optimistic about the upcoming weekend. At Jester’s Café, also on Farnsworth Avenue, manager Mike Scotto said reservations are down a bit from last year.
He said he expects some reservations to come in closer to the actual holiday, but the restaurant has taken some measures to attract new business. Making reservations for Valentine’s Day can entitle a group for 10 percent off their bill, he said, and the establishment also has lowered prices on its menu.
Restaurants are far from the only ones feeling the pinch this year; local florists have said business has slowed considerably.
Blake Dimon, owner of Blake Dimon’s Wayside Florists, on Florence-Columbus Road, in Florence, said business is “almost dead.”
“Valentine’s Day last year was a disaster for the industry,” he said. “From last Valentine’s Day to this year, business has just gone collectively downhill as the money gets tighter.”
The biggest drop he described is in walk-in sales, though he noted his customers are planning events such as weddings and funerals with fewer flowers than before.
Valentine’s Day sales have changed over the years, he said, from mostly preorders to more and more day of sales. And instead of ordering a dozen roses, he said people are more likely to have a few roses in a cheaper bunch. But aside from preparing bouquets ahead of time, he said there is little he can do.
“Valentine’s Day’s going to happen, just like Christmas,” he said. “You’re just going to pretty much bite the bullet and grit your teeth and wait to see what happens. But I don’t expect a landmark Valentine’s Day. In fact, I expect it to be pretty much mundane like it was last year.”
Sharon Bird, owner of Lorraine’s Florist Shop, on West Front Street, in Florence, said business is “very slow,” with two orders Friday as opposed to 300 last Valentine’s Day.
She agreed the drop was a serious one, but said she was hopeful her customers simply are waiting until the last minute. An increase in flower wholesalers’ prices, she said, has had an effect on her shop as on many others’, forcing her to increase the cost of a dozen roses by $20.
But she said she does not think that will impact her client base as her shop now charges about $75 for a dozen roses in a vase, which she said is lower than the average price.
Robin Engle, owner of Robin’s Flower Shoppe, on East Burlington Street, in Bordentown City, said Friday it was too early to tell how the holiday will turn out this year, but she is anticipating a slow year.
Ms. Engle said she is planning to reduce the minimum delivery order from $40 to $35 and offer more walk-in options in hopes of drawing more customers. But, she added, she still is bracing for the worst.
“My fingers are crossed it will be a good year; I just doubt it will be,” she said. “We’re planning on selling less, buying less. The economy’s affecting everybody.”

