Valentine’s Day Merchandise

How Cupid's Day Rates (From page 131)

The Candy Jar, which produces about half of its sweet treats in-house, sells mostly “anything chocolate” at Valentine’s Day, with classic fudge and chocolate-covered strawberries topping the best-seller list.

In communities where Valentine’s Day is still a big candy deal, the seasonal revenue boost is short-lived — especially compared to holidays like Christmas, which stretch out sales for months. “Valentine’s Day is major, but it’s very quick,” explained Heather McDonald , owner at The Sweets Barn in Lolo, Mont. “A lot of people do their Valentine’s Day shopping at the very last minute.”

At McDonald’s 600-square-foot store, February best-sellers include artisan truffles with distinctive fillings like Montana’s famous huckleberries and cheesecake, red velvet and caramel. Artisan fudge and truffles and bulk candy, like the ever-popular gummies, are also customer favorites. McDonald’s has also noticed a generational divide: Older shoppers gravitate toward the time-honored box of chocolates, while younger shoppers are more likely to favor customized selections. “They’ll look around like oh, you have cookies, too! Oh look, fudge! Then they’ll put together a package.”

Younger patrons gravitate toward gummies and chewy candies rather than chocolates at How Sweet It Is – The Itsy Bitsy Candy Shoppe in Clayton, Md., which specializes in nostalgic as well as vegan, sugar- and glutenfree, and kosher sweets. Owner Katie Morris said Valentine’s Day remains among “the top three major candy holidays, definitely,” alongside Christmas and Easter, with Halloween also gaining ground.

Dark chocolate sea salt caramels are the stores top seller at Valentine’s Day for the 300-square-foot shop. “We see a good variety of both romantic and family purchases,” observed Morris, who has owned the store for eight years. She’s also noticed a trend of shoppers

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