Red roses and white tablecloths are traditional Valentine’s Day sights, but pros in the region have other ideas for your celebration. They include different flowers, cookie decorating tips, cats, clay and earlier events.
Not just roses
Florists offer more than long-stemmed red roses, said Jennifer Barnasevitch, owner of Smith Floral Company in West Hazleton. “There’s just so many things that you could do, but I think that, you know, there’s a lot of tunnel vision.”
Don’t forget about tulips, lilies, ranunculus and hydrangeas, plus other kinds of roses, she said. Talk to a florist and ask for something personal.
“Think of who you’re buying the flowers for,” she said.
Personalize the gift further with an heirloom vase, or add a second gift by having the flowers arranged in a new Stanley or YETI cup.
Jennifer Barnasevitch will sell lots of red roses for Valentine’s Day, but encourages considering other choices. (COURTESY OF SMITH FLORAL COMPANY)
A Smith Floral Company design. (COURTESY OF SMITH FLORAL COMPANY)
Black Cat Bakery products (COURTESY OF LEAH DANIELS PHOTOGRAPHY)
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Jennifer Barnasevitch will sell lots of red roses for Valentine’s Day, but encourages considering other choices. (COURTESY OF SMITH FLORAL COMPANY)
Barnasevitch has made arrangements inspired by the musical “Wicked” and favorite sports teams. The company has been in business more than 125 years.
With Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday, she expects to make fewer deliveries to workplaces and anticipates more customers dropping into the shop.
Sweets simple or sophisticated
At Black Cat Bakery in Taylor, owner Madison Smolsky has an elaborate Valentine menu for preorder and advice for a simpler approach for a DIY activity or dessert.
She makes “Romance Renaissance” decorated cookie sets, plus cakes, cream puffs and truffles in exotic flavors.
The smallest cakes cost $40. The chocolate cake includes elements of lavender and pomegranate, the strawberry cake is filled with lychee sparkling wine jelly and a third has flavors of black tea and pink peppercorn. Valentine’s Day orders are due by Sunday. The website is blackcat-bakery.com.
There will be plenty of sweets available in store, including brownie batter truffles Smolsky says are popular.
For a hands-on activity or DIY gift, Smolsky suggests painting cookies.
“That way you have a good date night activity, it’s a fun Galentine’s Day, it’s quick, easy and relatively cheap,” she said.
A flat sugar cookie is the easiest canvas. Her instructions: mix one cup of powdered sugar with one tablespoon of water to make a glaze with a consistency of toothpaste. Dip in the top of the cookie. Allow it to dry for about an hour. Dampen a new paintbrush with food coloring, either straight for bold colors or diluted with water or vanilla extract for softer shades.
Cats and hot chocolate
Purrfect Mugs Cat Cafe in Plains Twp. is offering a special menu, including a hot chocolate station with unlimited toppings, on Valentine’s Day. The cats are what make the cafe different. For $10, spend 50 minutes in the Cat Den, interacting with adoptable cats. Advance booking is recommended at purrfectmugscatcafe.com. The cafe recently refreshed the look of its photo op wall.
Clay for couples
Remember the pottery wheel scene between Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in the movie “Ghost”?
Couples seem to love exploring the hands-on art form together, said instructor Debbie Gilbert. She is teaching “Down & Dirty,” a wheel throwing session for couples at the Walk In Art Center in Schuylkill Haven.
“They can spend time together doing something they normally would not do,” Gilbert said. “It’s out of the box.”
Couples can sip wine or beer and nibble chocolate while being guided to create a food-safe, dishwasher-safe bowl that will be fired for them to pick up later.
There is a wait list for the Feb. 13 class. But there are slots available Feb. 20 and 27. All are Fridays, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Per couple, tickets cost $125.
The link is walkinartcenter.org/event-details/down-dirty-a-couples-wheel-throwing-experience.
The Center’s Clay Haven studio is open to the public.
An earlier evening out
Friday is First Friday in Scranton, the monthly evening of free art and entertainment offerings clustered together downtown. Some have an air of romance. Get the map at firstfridayscranton.com/february-2026-map.