Laborers of love

Taking advantage of lulls on Sunday, some Cape Girardeau florists, restaurants and stores prepared for a busy Valentine's Day.

At Toni's Flower House, Terry Jones and Mary Keller started working at 7 a.m. and were in the back room until 6 p.m. Jones stapled together a red ribbon, which will hang on a tree of mostly pink bows, awaiting the right floral arrangement. Keller stuck baby's breath into a bouquet of carnations.

Owner Sharon Bodenstein is ready for today's rush.

"The holiday will be horrific," she said with a laugh. "People will be calling. They'll have forgotten Valentine's Day."

Those last-minute orders are difficult to fill, but Bodenstein believes the effort is worth it. "I love making people happy," she said.

Most people are made happy with red roses, which make up about 70 percent of Bodenstein's business for Valentine's Day. She said they are the best gifts to give because "they're a symbol of love."

Besides flowers, lingerie has also proven to be a popular gift from men, according to Katie Hoffman, co-manager of Victoria's Secret in Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

"We'll be seeing predominately males on Valentine's Day," she said. "They buy a lot of sleepwear, slips and fragrance."

The store had to train its associates on how to deal with the increasing number of men buying Valentine's Day gifts.

"The ones that are somewhat prepared when they come in are easy," Hoffman said. "The ones that have no idea what they need are more challenging."

Valentine's Day is the store's biggest holiday after Christmas.Once the gifts are given, many couples will go out to eat, and restaurants have prepared for the holiday rush.

"We've got a truckload of parsley cut," joked Bella Italia manager Bill Godwin. "The little details, like lemons for water, are ready."

Godwin is expecting the restaurant to be "filled to the gills" today, and he and his staff have been working for three days to make sure the kitchen is stocked and every last chocolate heart, the restaurant's Valentine's Day special, is prepared.

"We don't take reservations, although we try to accommodate for early callers, but if we did, we'd be booked," he said. "The phone has been ringing off the hook."

Godwin, who has seen four Valentine's Days with Bella Italia, said that the 120-seat restaurant was full by 6 p.m. Saturday.

Bella Italia's main focus, like other local businesses preparing for Valentine's Day, is on the customer -- and the nature of the holiday makes that easier.

"Even though everybody stops in for that evening, we get so many small tables that ... the kitchen isn't slammed," Godwin said. "We can pamper the customers more."

nstanfield@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127