"Love is in the air..." - and what better way to show it than with roses, chocolates and maybe even dinner for your special someone?
But for those struggling to turn a profit on Valentine's paraphernalia, inflation even on the most loving day of the year is real.
This afternoon Cherisse Halsall hit the streets in search of heartfelt gestures but also the low down on the Valentine hustle.
Valentine's Day, it's all about sweet sentiments, and heart felt gestures, gestures like the one this man told us he's making for his very young daughter.
Cherisse Halsall:
"Who are you buying the bouquet for today?"
Jose Hernandez, Father of 8-month old daughter
"For my baby, she is 8 months old but she deserves the roses them, I want her to grow with that, I want to make it a tradition noh, that every year she gets her little bouquet so that when she is older she knows that she deserves nothing less than what I will be doing for her so. I want her to find a good person as well when she gets older…but it's for my baby, my partner she got her basket already so can't complain this year I am treating them right."
And while those feelings are at the heart of today's celebrations, The reality on the ground for most is that it's a much needed opportunity to make a buck by cashing in on the universal need for a sign of affection.
And for these women who we met at Brodies on the northern Highway business is being stifled by tariffs on their raw product.
Evelyn Westby, Florist
"We have to pay a lot of money for duty for those flowers and it's hustling we are hustling. We aren't sure how. Much it went up by but they are saying that it's 60% duty this time."
Cherisse Halsall:
"How does that affect your bottom line when your selling the roses?"
Evelyn Westby, Florist
"We no make nothing so everyone that's coming today we have to tell them that we can't sell single roses, they have to get a bouquet and some people aren't happy and they go but most people say I understand miss."
But closer to town we found an enterprising couple who had made $10 single roses their thing after they realized that double roses at $20 weren't moving as fast.
Cherisse Halsall:
"It's hard to get single roses for Valentine's Day, how are you guys able to sell these."
Rachel Mendizaba and Andrew Garai, Flower Vendors
"It is very expensive but luckily me and my boyfriend found a lady selling a bucket so we bought it and then we invested in this."
"There was this very thoughtful like gift from someone, someone was passing and then they were like oh I don't have a lover, I have no one to give to but let me buy one for you and then the person gave me a $20, it was a double one and then the person gave it to me so it really felt nice to get a rose."
Cherisee Halsall:
"So, now what's the Valentine's Day surprise later?"
Rachel Mendizaba, Flower Vendors
"Two days of hard work."
Others pulled away from tradition completely, instead focusing on what works and marking it down as competitively as possible.
Vendor
"Since this sells a lot that's why I chose to sell these, I always sell sweets, cotton Candy and lot's of toys for boys. The big one is $5 and the little one is $3."
Cherisse Halsall:
"So, this for today should be a good business?"
Vendor
"Yes because I am selling it for 5 and there at the Chinese store it's $7 or $8, so more expensive at the Chinese store."
And as we continued our trek down the boulevard we met one lady who put her own spin on the traditional flower bouquet.
Miss Hadie Young says she's been making crochet roses for most of her life.
Hadie Young, Crochet Florist
"I sent my daughter to school on this, I never got education so I had to use my hands. It has been like 42 years since I'm doing this, I used to walk around knock on doors and someone gave me an idea to come out here and so I went to ask public and they said yes so I stopped walking around a little and then."
"These ones here are $7 each, they have the, I tied them with the ribbon. $35 each for those ones, $30 for these ones and this one here is $45."
Cherisse Halsall:
"What would you say to someone about why they should do a cloth flower instead of a real flower?"
Hadie Young, Crochet Florist
"Um, these ones will last they can go on the line and hang up and wash and dry you know so we want to do a, teach a school on these stuff out here so we don't. Only have these things, we have all this stuff over here."
But her star attraction remains cloth roses and today the semi-permanent symbols of love certainly made their way into quite a few homes - where they will eventually whither and fray but the love will endure.
Hadie Young, Crochet Florist
"This man came and he said I am giving you a sale and I said no you are not giving me a sale, you are buying it for your loved one, and he said, you're right, you're right and he took it."
