EAU CLAIRE Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – Valentine’s Day is next week, and although it may not be on the top of everyone’s mind, some local businesses are already preparing for it.

“Flowers start coming in this weekend. And so, we’re just processing them as they come in.”

Last year, flower shop owners in Eau Claire said they had difficulty getting their supplies, but don’t expect that to be an issue this year.

“There were some weird, random supplies we couldn’t get our hands on and different flowers that are harder to get this year. Some of it is delayed a little bit, but it seems like we’re going to get everything that we did order.”

And although there shouldn’t be problems getting flowers, shop owners say there is something people should look out for.

“There’s big companies, big online companies, and what we call order gatherers, that will try and trick you and parade as a local florist. And they’re not. And what they do is they’ll take your order and then they try and send it to a local florist. But they take a huge cut of that money that you paid.”

As the holiday gets closer, both owners say to place your orders early.

“You’re still not too late. Obviously, we’ll take orders as long as we can and as long as we can keep up, we’ll take your orders. But the sooner the better to get it in. And like I said, call a local florist, look them up online, and make sure that they are somebody that’s local. And look at their website and ensure it’s a local address and a local phone number that you’re dealing with. And we will happily take your orders. “

Making sure you and your loved one have a rosy day.