South Whitehall Retailers Upbeat At Valentine's Day

Greta Miller, a clerk at N. Landau Hyman Jewels in the Village West Shopping Center,  is learning the power of advertising for Valentine’s Day. 

A promotion gives customers 50 percent off the store's stud earrings. “So we put up a sign outside our shop saying, ‘50 Percent off All Studs,’ ” Miller said.

The reaction was more than she expected.

“People are coming in and laughing at the sign,” she said. “They think
we’re offering a different kind of stud! People are...asking if
they can have two studs for the price of one!”

The mood among retailers at Valentine’s Day is upbeat this year.

Spending is expected to increase 11 percent this year, to $116.21 for the average person, according to a recent study by BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation in Washington, D.C.

“Valentine’s (Day)  is a nice boost in the dead of winter,” said Chuck Smith, owner silversmith shop in the Village West Shopping Center.

Though some couples will likely celebrate this weekend with dinner and roses, Valentine's Day is officially Monday.

“We’ll be jammed that day," said Barry Dobil, owner and president of The store will open at 7 a.m. with a full staff. “Guys that come in are typically last-minute shoppers."

Smith has many memories of panicked boyfriends coming into the jewelry store, saying, “What is it? Wrap it up! I’ll take it!”

Having cut back on spending in recent years, couples this year will spend
an average of $68.98 on their significant other or spouse, up from $63.34
last year, according to the National Retail Federation study.

Men are expected to spend the most on Valentine’s Day gifts, with the
average man planning to spend twice as much as the average woman -- $158.71
to $75.79, the study said.

The retail survey projects consumers will spend $3.5 billion on jewelry, up from about $3 billion a year ago. Other items also are expected to be up this year, including clothing ($1.6 billion vs. $1.5 billion in 2010) and dining out ($3.4 billion vs. $3.3 billion in 2010), the retail survey said.

The survey also expects people to spend $1.7 billion on flowers, $1.5 billion on candy and $1.1 billion on greeting cards.

But statistics aren’t what makes the heart grow fonder.

Valentine sentiments do.

“Several years ago, we had a gentlemen come in for Valentine’s (Day) who was
getting engaged,” said Dobil, of Josh Early Candies. “He had the ring with him.”

What the fellow wanted was an elaborate candy concoction, and the
folks at Josh Early improvised.

“We assembled the ring in some rock candy and made a pretty nice
presentation,” Dobil said. “The girls in the back are pretty good at those sorts of things. It only took only five minutes or so.”

Another customer comes in every Valentine's Day with the same yellow heart candy package.

 “Our clerks fill it for him rather than give him a new one," Dobil said. 'It’s sentimental to him, and maybe a little economical, because he may get a small price break. He isn’t choosy about the candy. He takes whatever our clerks like to put in the special heart.”

Jenny Torres, guest services supervisor at —Dorney Park, spoke enthusiastically about the hotel's Valentine’s Romance Package, which includes a night in their King Jacuzzi Suite; a display of rose petals; wine or cider; a velvet heart truffle box; breakfast for two, and a one-hour extended checkout.

“One particular customer has asked to help me bring up extra roses to his
room ahead of time,” she said. “Then everything can be perfect for his
fiancé.”

Sara Jeppel, front office supervisor at in Dorneyville,
remembers one guest's romantic Valentine. He was in the military, and from out of the area. He had rented a room so that he could visit his girlfriend from the Lehigh Valley for the occasion.

“We had to get our van out to transport him, since he came with no car,”
Jeppel said. “Our van driver was new, and I had to give him instructions on
the cell phone. I told him to drive the guest and his girlfriend to a
nearby Japanese restaurant.

“Suddenly, the van driver called in a panic. I thought he’d been in an
accident, but that wasn’t the case.

'The military guy had proposed to his girlfriend outside the restaurant. Our new driver was so excited. She said, ‘Yes!’ ”