Love is in the air, and various local businesses are catering to the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday.
For candy stores, florists and restaurants, major holidays bring in a lot of business, said Steve Blair, an owner of Fabiano's Homemade Candies, 1427 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing.
"Valentine's Day is our busiest two or three days of the year," Blair said. "It's the difference between selling 10 or 12 boxes of candy a day and selling 500 or 600 boxes of candy in one day - there is no comparison to any other time of year."
Barbara Sinadinos, owner of CC Greenery, 4708 Okemos Road in Okemos, said Valentine's Day is important because it's the store's second biggest holiday, next to Mother's Day.
"We go from having 50 orders in one week to about 500 orders over a three-day span for Valentine's Day," Sinadinos said, adding that she orders 5,000 extra roses in advance.
In addition to giving chocolates and flowers, many couples go to the movies, go dancing or go out to eat, said Erik Johnston, assistant manager of Dusty's Cellar, 1839 W. Grand River Ave. in Okemos.
Dusty's Cellar started taking reservations in the beginning of January, and it's almost booked solid through the weekend, Johnston said. Since Valentine's Day is on a Monday, the restaurant will be much busier than a typical weekday, he said.
"On a normal Monday, it's good if we fill up the dining room once, but on Valentine's Day, we'll probably fill up the dining room three times," Johnston said. "As a retailer, it's really good to have a holiday fall on a weekday like this."
At Clara's Lansing Station, 637 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, employees will give out carnations, and the menu will be amended to cater to Valentine's Day couples, said owner Scott Jubeck.
"We're featuring the prime rib, which means dinner and dessert for two will be at a set price of $35.99," Jubeck said. "We're getting pretty booked right now, but I assume people are going to start getting into panic mode today, and more will start calling."
Roehm's Day Spa, 2800 E. Grand River Ave. in Lansing, also is taking a lot of reservations for Valentine's Day, said owner Barbara Helper. The spa has specials all weekend on facials, body wraps and pedicures.
Couple's massages also are popular on Valentine's Day, Helper said. Couples are able to get a massage together at a discounted price of $90 per couple. Normally, a massage is $55 per person.
On Monday night, the Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road, hosted the annual Daddy/Daughter Valentine Dance for younger members of the community.
The center also will host a reprise of the dance tonight from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
"The history of this dance goes back probably 15 years," said Thyra Foster, senior customer service associate with the center. "It's been hosted here for the last two years as a part of the city's recreation and arts program."
MSU students also will get their chance to go dancing for Valentine's Day when the University Activities Board hosts the Cupid's Ball, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday at the International Center.
"As a committee, we felt people missed dances in high school they could dress up for," said Tiffany Weber, coordinator of the event. "People wanted this dance."
