Category Archives: holiday

Have you got your special someone a little something for tomorrow’s holiday? I just heard a radio commercial for getting your sweetie a gift at your neighborhood CVS…I almost died inside. I mean, not that I am above a huge box of Dove chocolates, a cheap bottle of red wine, an InStyle or Us Weekly Magazine, some new black liquid eyeliner, an itunes gift card or a few new lipsmackers…However, why would ANYONE shop at CVS for a gift when Cleveland has a plethora of talented creatives, hot spots & activities to support?

Looking for last minute…gifts that you can call an order in for or pick up tonight? Check out a few of my suggestions…

Flowers : Don’t call 1.800.Flowers, but instead support your local florist. Shops like V2V (Lakewood) and Urban Orchid (Cleveland) are two very stylish floral design shops. Give them a call for something unique for your sweetie. Also, there is also Heinen’s (also a local family owned  business) flower department which usually has fun little bouquets and plants, at a much more affordable cost than turning to the web.

Chocolate : This morning I saw a small plane in the air pulling a “CHOC” flag; I knew it was Malley’s right away. There is nothing like a Malley’s Chocolate covered pretzel and we all know they have chocolate covered strawberries for special occasions! besides Malley’s there is also the fine art of chocolate made by Lilly’s Handmade Chocolates (Tremont), a few of these make an impressive gift. Or, you could cure the chocolate craving with a red velvet cupcake from Cookie and A Cupcake or the recent America’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookie (by Food & Wine Magazine) at Blackbird Bakery (Lakewood.) Seriously, so many wonderful options.

Jewelry : If you’ve ever been to any of the holiday indie craft shows you know there are so many wonderful jewelers in the area. But just as a reminder….guys…my friend Erica of On the Lookout Jewelry makes such detailed beaded pieces, your Valentine would love a necklace by her! Or “she” also loves Oceanne creations (especially the cupid earrings) (wink wink) Both of these jewelers sell to many of our little area boutiques so check out their websites or drop them an email to find out where you can score a last minute gift.

Food & Drinks : There are so many local places, I can’t even begin to list them all. However, I will say one option  I think is really cool is from Gatherings Kitchen located in Lakewood. Where you reserve your dinner, swing by on the way home and pick it up, reheat and voila a 4-course romantic dinner (including short ribs!) at home with NO clean up! $50 for the dinner feeds two lovebirds. Call NOW and you might still be able to reserve a dinner!

Activities : From the events at the Rock Hall, to a night out with the fish at the Aquarium, you could get all yoga twisty at a hot yoga class together or relax to the orchestra…find something special to do with your friends or honey to celebrate the day together. Get creative!

I hope some of my last minutes ideas were helpful and while I don’t mean to knock CVS…please people, we can do better than that! Happy (almost) Valentines!