Feb 10, 2008

Valentine’s big for gift shopBy Donna BalanciaFloridaToday.com

Lois Lantau, owner of Cindy’s Hallmark in Titusville, said Valentine’s Day is a big day for her business.

“I would say it’s the second-biggest holiday for me, after Christmas,” Lantau said.

“It’s about 20 percent of my annual revenue. People love cards, all kinds of cards. And, besides cards, we have candy and plush animals. It’s getting better every year. People buy Valentines for friends, Mom, Dad and all the family members. Grandchildren are big.”

Lantau said Easter and Mother’s Day are the next-biggest holidays.

Ron Robillard, manager of Walgreens drugstore in Melbourne, near Paradise Beach on State Road A1A, said he gets a lot of last-minute shoppers — and those mostly are men — so it’s hard to tell if people will spend less this year because of the economy.

“The guys are last-minute shoppers,” Robillard said.

“We have some flowers closer to Valentine’s Day, and we have balloons. We have the song cards, and those are popular. And we have bags that play songs, too. Now through Valentine’s Day, it’s going strong. Valentine’s Day for us is a last-week or week-and-a-half type of holiday,” he said.

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