“Valentine’s Day is a cornerstone of the chocolate industry, and for us, it’s our third-largest holiday — trailing only Christmas and Easter. With Feb. 14 falling on a Saturday this year, we’re anticipating a very strong season,” said Bedford Candies owner Adam Wiley. “While we expect the entire week to be high-energy, we’re bracing for peak volume on Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th as people prepare for their weekend celebrations.”

Milk chocolate peanut butter melties and gourmet popcorn flavors remain popular, Wiley said.

“The ‘crown jewel’ of the holiday is definitely our chocolate-covered fresh fruit. We’ll be hand-dipping strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries and blackberries in milk, dark and white chocolate,” Wiley said.

Fresh fruit will be available for pickup at all at the Altoona, Bedford and Osterburg locations on both Feb. 13 and 14,” Wiley said.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / MarCia’s Chocolates owner Marcia Cumming puts together a gift basket of chocolates.

Valentine’s Day is the third-highest sales period for Tyrone-based Gardners Candies behind Christmas and Easter, said Jim Westover, chief operating officer.

“We expect to see an increase in business due to the holiday falling on a Saturday which will give our consumers the time they need to select the right Gardners gift for their family or significant other,” Westover said.

Peanut butter meltaways and chocolate covered strawberries are Gardner’s big sellers, Westover said.

“We expect Saturday afternoon to be the busiest as that is when customers can pick up their chocolate strawberry orders. The last day to order fresh chocolate strawberries online to pick up at the stores is Feb. 8,” Westover said.

Consumer spending on Valentine’s Day is expected to reach a record $29.1 billion across the country, according to the annual survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The amount surpasses the previous record of $27.5 billion in 2025.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / MarCia’s Chocolates heart lollipops.

“Valentine’s Day is a cherished holiday that resonates with many Americans, as seen with expected record-breaking spending this year,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said. “Much of that growth is driven by middle- and high-income shoppers who are expanding their gift lists to include friends, co-workers and even pets in addition to loved ones.”

Valentine’s Day makes up about 20% of the annual business at MarCia’s Chocolates in Greenwood.

“With Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday, we expect a lot of foot traffic on the 14th, which is great for business but it pushes the vast majority of our sales into a two-to-three-day window,” owner Marcia Cumming said.

Chocolate-covered strawberries are a big seller.

“We dip them fresh within hours of our customers picking them up so they are delicious! We also have heart shaped boxes and other holiday themed items but people come for the berries,” Cumming said.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / MarCia’s Chocolates candy bars.

Valentine’s Day is one of the largest holidays at Dutch Hill Chocolates, Altoona.

“We anticipate the sales being extremely high as Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday. We will likely be busiest Saturday, but our sales on Friday won’t be far behind,” co-owner Hannah Moore said. “Chocolate-covered strawberries always are the most popular seller for Valentine’s Day, but peanut butter meltaways, seasalt caramel and nonpareils are other popular favorites.”

Shiny best friends

According to the survey, 25% of shoppers will buy jewelry but will spend the most, a total of $7 billion.

Having Valentine’s Day fall on a Saturday is actually great for business, said President Michel Kranich Jr. of Kranich’s Jewelers, Altoona.

“Valentine’s Day is absolutely one of our top holidays of the year, it’s one of the biggest gift-giving moments for fine jewelry. Jewelry is such a personal and meaningful way to celebrate love,” Kranich said. “We tend to see more last-minute shoppers when it falls on a weekend, so it creates strong traffic both leading up to the day and on Valentine’s Day itself.”

Classic, romantic pieces are always top sellers for Valentine’s Day, Kranich said.

“Diamond jewelry — such as earrings, pendants, and rings — is extremely popular. Heart-shaped designs and personalized pieces also do very well, as customers are looking for gifts that feel meaningful and timeless. Many people get engaged on Valentine’s Day,” Kranich said.

Mike Dorman, owner of Dorman’s Jewelry, Altoona, said Valentine’s Day is important but maybe not as big as it was years ago.

“It is a different generation, people do things differently, they don’t romance like they used to. Trends change so quickly, with the price of gold and silver sometimes things are just not affordable any more,” Dorman said. “Lab-grown diamonds are popular in heart-shaped items and earrings, they are affordable for anybody,” Dorman said.

Dorman said when Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday, jewelers compete against restaurants as many people choose to dine out for the holiday or buy candy or flowers.

“The restaurants will be insanely busy. Chocolates and flowers fade away but jewelry lasts forever,” Dorman said.

Floral arrangements

The survey indicates that 41% of shoppers will buy flowers and spend $3.1 billion.

“Valentine’s Day is always insane no matter how prepared you think you are.The preparation for this holiday starts in December as we secure our large orders with our wholesale companies. We typically order 2,000 red roses alone. Then we have vases, greenery, ribbon, a wide range of flowers, carry out boxes, chocolates, plush, balloons, that we plan for as well,” said owner Andrea Hammel of Peterman’s Flower Shop, Juniata.

Hammel said Valentine’s Day is the biggest single day of sales of the year, next to Mother’s Day week.

“Long stem red roses are the biggest seller, but many people prefer a nice mix of more premium flowers like orchids, calla lilies and stargazer lilies,” Hammel said.

Valentine’s Day is also one of the busiest days of the year at Kerr’s Home & Garden, Hollidaysburg, said Chelsea Kerr Veneskey, operations manager.

“We expect to be busiest on Friday with business deliveries being that Valentine’s Day falls on the weekend. “Our top sellers will be our standard one dozen red roses, and our unique mixes. On Saturday we expect to have more walk-ins for pre-made arrangements. We also sell a good amount of plush, candy and plants for those that don’t want flowers,” Veneskey said.

Romantic dinner

The survey said shoppers will spend $6.3 billion on an evening out, which is good news for local restaurants.

Calls for reservations for Valentine’s Day at Finelli’s Italian Villa, Altoona, started just after Christmas and the evening was sold out Jan. 23, owner Frank Finelli said.

“We’ve been doing this for 33 years. People know Finelli’s is the most romantic restaurant in town and we are fully decorated for Valentine’s Day. Everyone wants to go out on Valentine’s Day. It can snow like no one’s business and no one cancels for Valentine’s Day,” Finelli said. “We will have a special menu for all of the lovers and my wife makes excellent desserts.”

Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest dining holidays of the year at The Allegro Restaurant, Altoona.

“With the holiday landing on a Saturday this year, we expect Friday and Saturday to be our busiest nights, so we’re introducing Amore Week at Allegro — a romantic, Italian-inspired celebration with special enhancements offered only on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to encourage guests to dine throughout the week,” said marketing manager Brenda Ajay.

The Allegro will offer a Valentine’s-themed menu with popular Allegro classics and a few special holiday additions and reservations are strongly recommended, as Valentine’s weekend typically fills up quickly, Ajay said.

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.