Last-Minute Gift Ideas Nearby

In case you haven’t had time to order a fancy bouquet, don't worry. From stuffed bears and pizza to gift baskets and flowers, there are plenty of last-minute gifts nearby that can help you to show your special someone how you feel.

Say it with a card

in Oakland Township will open at 9 a.m. today, a half hour earlier than normal, to help serve Valentine's Day shoppers.

“The season is going pretty well, besides our snowstorm last week,” said Kim Trosper, district manager of Werner’s, which has 12 stores in Michigan and Ohio. “As long as we don’t get any snow this week, we’re good.”

This year, the gift shop is promoting three stuffed animals for the holiday: The Sweet Talkin’ Pup and Hug Me Bear, priced at $9.95 and $14.95, respectively (with a three-card purchase). Both speak when you squeeze them while the Bug ‘Em, a colorful stuffed bug, is designed to hold cards or notes of encouragement. Bug 'Em is on sale for $9.95 and comes with a free bag of cinnamon hearts candy today.

Trosper also anticipates good sales for the recordable children’s books, priced at $29.99. Vera Bradley high-end purses start at $18, and the DaVinci bracelets start at $14.99. The stainless steel bracelets can be decorated with a wide assortment of charms and beads, each for $6.99.

Shoppers at the store on Wednesday already had gifts in mind for their loved ones. Sherry Rushwin, 65, of Rochester, has to shop ahead to ship gifts to her grandchildren out of state.

“For the girls, I got headbands that were red and pink and sent them some money and a cute card,” she said. “For the little guy, I got him a hero action figure.”

While it’s tough to spend so much money so soon after Christmas – about $20 for each of her seven grandchildren – she cannot resist, she said. For her grandchildren closer to home, she picked out the Bug ‘Em stuffed animals. She will buy a modest card for her husband and usually receives flowers for the holiday, she said.

Colleen Champine, 38, of Oakland Township, had picked out yoga pants and earrings for her daughters, Hannah, 12, and Lily, 9, and shoes for her son, Ben, 10.

“I think it’s just an excuse to buy them things that they want,” she said. While she spends about $40 to $50 on each child, Champine says she and her husband do not exchange presents because the holiday is close to her birthday.

Flowers, balloons and tasty treats

Just a few doors down from Hallmark, has pre-made gift baskets, flower bouquets and balloons for Valentine's Day.

“It’s my busiest week, besides Mother’s Day,” said Kathy Hillman, lead florist.

Valentine’s Day specials include one dozen roses for less than $20, mixed flower bouquets with a foil balloon for $24.99, a rose arrangement with a vase for $39.99 and a mini rose bouquet for $6.99. Gift baskets with everything from chocolate and champagne to books or bath products start at $9.99.

The store also has delectable treats, including frosted sugar cookies, red velvet cupcakes and large decorated chocolate chip cookies.

Roses to say you care

It might be too late to order one of the most popular items from in Rochester Hills, said Assistant Manager Tina Jandou, but other items and arrangements will be available. 

The Charm Heart bouquet, part of the Faith Hill collection, features a mixed flower arrangement with a red heart pendant necklace for $89.99, but for those and other special promotions like the Hershey’s Hugs bouquet, which features flowers in a candy dish, shoppers should have called a week or more in advance, she said. In fact, the store has been taking floral orders since the beginning of February.

But the store will be stocked with roses, mixed flower arrangements, chocolate boxes and bears today, she said.

“It sounds like it’s going to be bigger than last year,” Jandou said. “We’ve got a lot of orders. Everybody is pre-ordering.”

Pizza for your sweetie

If you absolutely can’t make it to the store, Pizza can deliver a heart-shaped pizza to share with your sweetie.

The Bloomfield Hills-based company with 42 stores in Michigan and Colorado has been selling Love pizzas for 20 years, said Pam Cole, director of marketing. The product is only available the week of Valentine’s Day, and the company sells about 30,000 each season. Sales on the Love pizzas started Feb. 7 and will run through Monday.

“The thing that I think is nice about it, it’s practical and whimsical at the same time,” she said. “It’s food, and everybody loves pizza.”

Baked and served in a heart-shaped tin, the small pizzas are $5.99 with one topping, or customers can pay more for additional toppings. The Romance Package for $15.99 includes two love pizzas, salad and chocolate chip cookies.