Community Corner
POLL: Stamford Floral, Jewelry Vendors Love Valentine's Day Business
Stamford's floral and jewelry vendors are enjoying a spike in business, even if they aren't feeling particularly romantic themselves.
The men of Stamford are preparing for another Valentine's Day, but local, high-end gift stores may be the real "winners" during the weeks leading to the romantic holiday.
"I go home and I crash; it's a long week. I think it's the craziest day to go out for dinner, I'd rather go out the following weekend." Stamford Florist owner Jim Ferraro said about his own Valentine's Day plans. "I've seen a significant increase [in sales]. Men buy 70% of the Valentine's Day flowers."
Ferraro couldn't take all the credit for his current increase in sales, stating that many of his recent sales could be due to a Super Bowl commerical.
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"It's better to give than receive," Ferraro said jovially. According to Ferarro, red roses and candy are usually his best-selling products for Valentine's Day. "Business has really boomed because of the Internet. People don't want to talk to these 800 numbers...they're not even real florists. We'e been a real florist for 36 years."
While Ferarro is, by his own admission, "not much of a romantic," he believes in the concepts behind Valentine's Day.
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"It's a great little time of the year to think of your girlfriend or the wife. I bring home a few flowers myself, for the event," Ferarro said.
"We people lining up stuff in January," Jim Grunberger of Grunberger's Jewelers told Patch. Grunberger's store in Bull's Head Plaza usually has no problems with sales, however, engagement rings and other hand-crafted jewelry are very popular for Valentine's Day.
"A lot of people get engaged for Valentine's Day...what's unusual here is that we do hand-crafted settings," Grunberger said.
Stamford romantics who can't quite afford the shiny things in Grunberger's Jewelers are keeping things a little more simple.
"I'll be taking the lady out at some point, it probably won't be Valentine's Day," resident J.D. Ginsberg said. "Normally, I go out to various restaurants, like Giovanni's."
Yet, not all residents celebrate Valentine's Day, or even think about it.
"I never celebrated Valentine's Day," Sunshades manager Maggie Wata said.
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