Pine Belt gentlemen shop late for Valentine's Day
Jewelers, bakers and florists: What do they have in common? This is one of the busiest times of year for them all.
Renting extra storage, hiring temporary staff, working overtime, they pull out all the stops to cater to Valentine's Day shoppers.
Paulette LeBlanc of Southland Florists has to rent a truck every year for Valentine's Week; it is not for deliveries, it is for storage.
"The thirteenth and the fourteenth are the two single busiest days of the year for probably any florist," said LeBlanc.
LeBlanc's family runs the oldest florist shop in Hattiesburg; she grew up the daughter of florists, and she is prepared – every year at this time she more than doubles her staff and this season she is adding four extra delivery drivers. Those four extra Valentine's drivers are none other than Hattiesburg's finest.
"Mostly, at the moment, it's off-duty police officers," said LeBlanc. "They know the town real well." LeBlanc added that she must reserve them months in advance, so the officers' schedules do not book up.