Their biggest day: Gift shops, florists see a rush

Valentine's Day has come, and rather than have things ready ahead of time, most people will get their gifts and flowers for the loved ones today, causing a rush of business for anywhere flowers and gifts are sold.

Angela Pratt, the owner of Angie's Wildflowers and Gifts, said today is the biggest day of the year for her business.

"Sales are awesome," Pratt said. "Things are going great. We are so tickled."

At 8 a.m. this morning, two hours before Angie's Wildflowers opens, Pratt had a crew of 20 people helping with preparing the business for the day. Pratt, who was at the shop until 3 a.m. this morning herself, had breakfast brought in for her crew.

"We're not even open yet and we've already had three calls," Pratt said. "Unfortunately, waiting until the last minute is always the norm."

Pratt said she did great business Thursday, but it will be nothing compared to today.

"This is definitely our biggest day of the year," Pratt said.

Kate Kinsella, of Sweet Temptations in the Atrium Mall, said it is going to be a very busy day for her business as well.

"We've called people to deliver and we have extra staff on hand," Kinsella said. "We've already started calls."

Sweet Temptations, which also opens at 10 a.m. on a normal day, was open at 7 this morning. Kinsella said a crew of eight was ready for the influx of customers on one of their busiest days of the year and there is lots of coffee to prepare them.

"There's a lot of last-minute ones, but that's OK," Kinsella said. "We have a lot of selections on the shelves, and we will custom-make as much as we can."

Custom-made candy bouquets at Sweet Temptations range anywhere from $25 to $150, Kinsella said. There are many styles of candy arrangements at her store, from full-blown bouquets with whole candy bars to decorated vases filled with M&Ms.

"This is the biggest week of the year," said Marlyn Damson, the owner of the store and Kinsella's mother. Damson and her husband have owned the store for almost three years and she said that this week has been her busiest every time in in-store sales and shipments.