Petal perfect

Just because Cupid shot you with his arrow doesn't mean you won't get a smack upside the head for forgetting a Valentine's Day gift for your sweetheart.Even though the holiday is only a day away, all hope is not lost, as a number of local businesses have geared up for last-minute sweetheart shoppers. "We plan for procrastinators every year, so we make sure we have plenty of flowers, plenty of staff," Kristina Hodge, owner of Cattail Flowers, said Monday afternoon. "Now is the beginning of the crunch time," she said Monday afternoon. "Considering today's a holiday, tomorrow's really going to be crunch time."Dennise Groves, owner Auburn's Petals & Sweets, said her florist and sweet shop is well-stocked for the last-minute Valentine's rush, which always proves itself good for business."We make the majority of our profit in two days, the 13th and the 14th," she said Monday.Being prepared includes having hundreds of chocolate-covered strawberries, 74-dozen truffles and plenty of flowers in stock. "I have 2,500 to 3,000 stems, and the majority of those are red roses," Groves said. "We usually sell out of red roses, so I've upped it this year." Groves recruited plenty of help for the holiday rush in addition to her regular employees. "My mom comes in, my dad comes in, my husband, and all of my sisters," she said Monday. "We're going to try not to be here too late tomorrow night. I think the record for the shop was being here until 2 in the morning."Groves said she planned to bring out an extra register and to have plenty of pre-assembled arrangements ready for the women, but mostly men, who she expected to come in today and Wednesday. "They always come in looking desperate, 'Oh my gosh, I forgot, help me out,'" she said. "We try to do as much as we can before, we try to get them out of here as soon as possible. They usually ask our advice, and we tell them what we would like to see, try to push them to be more creative."Being creative means putting a personal touch on a gift or gesture. "If she says she loves tulips, don't buy roses, buy tulips," Groves said. Clay Cowan already had an idea of what his wife Barbara would like when he stopped by Petals & Sweets Monday morning."I just came in looking for flowers," he said. "She likes sunflowers, so I'm thinking of doing something like that."Hodge, who owns Cattail Flowers, said her High Street business caters to those last-minute shoppers with the "Knock Your Socks Off" special. For $165 plus delivery charges, this package gets you a 2½-foot tall vase filled with roses and lilies, a box of chocolate truffles and a couple's portrait session with a local photographer. "It's great for the last-minutes, they're feeling a little guilty," Hodge said. "It looks like they put a lot into it." Not looking to drop that much cash but still wanting to sweeten the holiday? The Chocolate Shoppe and Gift Emporium on Lincoln Way has boxes in all shapes and sizes just waiting to be filled with heart-shaped truffles, cherry cordials and other melt-in-your-mouth delights. "It's such a chocolate holiday," said owner Lois Gallagher. Once the gift's taken care of, be sure not to forget the card. Dawn's Co., located in the Raley's shopping center on Lincoln Way, is a one-stop Hallmark shop with plenty of options for professing your love and infatuation. In addition to cards, Dawn's Co. also carries a number of gift items like balloon bouquets and stuffed animals. "You could find a gift for whomever," said Lynn Robinson, store manager. Auburn resident Dennis Metteer has no need to worry about Valentine's Day - he started shopping for daughter Rachel, 14, and wife, Jill, last week."I already got See's candy for my baby girl, and my bride likes diamonds, and she wears them well," Metteer said after purchasing two cards at Petals & Sweets. "They are my great joy, my girls."The Journal's Loryll Nicolaisen can be reached at lorylln@goldcountrymedia.com.In the Know: Valentine's Day-friendly shopsCattail Flowers896 High St., Auburn, (530) 885-9741Petals & Sweets1145 Grass Valley Highway, Auburn, (530) 889-3939Dawn's Co.13390 Lincoln Way, Auburn,(530) 888-6033Bryan's Florist1296 Lincoln Way, Auburn, (530) 885-4576O'Shays Flowers & Antiques1280 Grass Valley Highway, Auburn, (530) 823-1169Auburn Country Florist10510 Combie Road, Auburn,(530) 268-3401The Chocolate Shoppe and Gift Emporium823 Lincoln Way, Auburn,(530) 885-4822Meadow Vista Florist & Gifts16880 Placer Hills Road, Meadow Vista,(530) 878-9394Newcastle Florist & Gift Baskets455 Main St. #3, Newcastle(916) 663-1274