815 Valentine’s Day Gift Guide | Shop local for cards, flowers, candy and more in the Rockford area
By Helen Karakoudas
Special to the Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — As we count down to the year’s first big gift-giving occasion, we want to make sure you have handy info to Shop Small in the Rockford region for Valentine’s Day.
A companion to the massive 815 Holiday Gift Guide we ran in November before Small Business Saturday, our 815 Valentine Gift Guide is shorter but has the same message:
There are neighborhood shopping options to online retailers and big-box stores for you to explore — options which support people in our community shouldering the risk of owning and running independent bricks-and-mortar stores. For three of these businesses, this is their first Valentine’s Day. For three other businesses, this is their first Valentine’s Day in a new location. For another business, it’s the first Valentine’s Day under new ownership.
We’re here to help you learn about them all, find them, and help them thrive.
The suggestions we give highlight local shops where the owners either make what they sell themselves, or carefully curate what they sell. At these places, you can see and touch what you’ll be presenting as a gift and, for whatever you can spend, also get a value. Only the porch pirates lose.
As before, we drop numbers next to each suggestion so that, when sharing the guide with a friend or co-worker, you can easily reference an idea catching your eye.
To spread the love of shopping small, we hope this baker’s dozen list of ideas for Valentine’s Day gets you started.
Shop Small for everything from bath bombs to Angus/wagyu patties
1) Check out the storefront two doors to the right of Meg’s Daily Grind on Perryville Road, in the Perryville Square shopping center of northeast Rockford across from RBI Brunch and Dinner.
Then, check out the local honey sign in the corner of the window: This starts to tell the story of One Love, the fragrant boutique that opened nearly two years ago at this location.
Stephanie Franchini, the shop’s owner, and her husband, Tom Bell, own and work on a farm in Kirkland. Together, they make most of the all-natural items the shop stocks for humans to pamper themselves and their homes — many of the care products from ingredients they themselves grow. The list is long: lip balms and pout polishes, hydrating face serums, creams, lotions, body butters, goat’s milk soaps, shower steamers and moisturizing bath bombs. That’s just for personal care. For home care, there are room and linen sprays, reed diffusers, soy candles, and fragrance melts and tarts.
Franchini, who was in research and development as a chef, creates the formulations. Bell, a farmer, happily pitches in with the labor. He takes particular pride in keeping One Love’s displays stocked with their bestseller: shower steamers, 5-ounce pucks with menthol-infused essential oils. They have three core scents—citrus mint, eucalyptus mint and lavender mint—plus limited editions seasonally.
To complement the items she and her husband make, Franchini supports other women-owned businesses in the Midwest by carrying their sustainably made, ethically sourced products. If you want to tell the world you’re passionate about shopping small, dining local, and supporting independent businesses, this is the place to get buttons saying that. Franchini has dozens of them.
A visit to this shop isn’t complete without checking out the freezer in the back, which Franchini and Bell stock with another specialty from their farm: ground meat and patties from beef that comes from an Angus cow they breed with a wagyu bull. “Birth to butcher right here,” Bell says.
And the One Love name?
“I was in a rush to come up with a business name within a 24–hour time period to legally register it with the state before an event. So, I wanted a name that was inclusive for all, ” Franchini said, referring to the enterprise she’s run in various forms for 15 years. “I want our products and company to serve and benefit everyone in our community and make a ripple effect beyond.”
How much: $6 to $46 for bath and body products; $9 to $28 for home products. The bestselling shower steamer pucks are $7 each for the core scents and $8 for the limited-edition seasonal scents. Angus/wagyu patties are $8 for a pack of four.
Where: One Love, 3863 N. Perryville Road, Rockford; 779-774-4200
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday
On the web: onelovecandleandbath.com
On social: facebook.com/OneLoveCandleBath; instagram.com/OneLoveCandleBath
Shop Small for boxed chocolate
2) Check out a box of chef-made, hand-painted bonbons at Wonderland Sweets, a pastry and chocolate shop inside Rooted vintage home goods and gift boutique in Rockford’s North End. The quartet of heart-shaped bonbons includes one each of milk chocolate champagne, passionfruit white chocolate, Mexican hot chocolate and salted caramel.
How much: $12 for the 4-piece box; pre-orders for store pickup can be made HERE by February 9, where you can specify whether you want the bonbons alone or as part of a bundle that a fresh floral bouquet which Rooted is sourcing from Clara Joyce Flowers, a specialty plant farm in Stockton, and will be available for pickup February 13 and 14. The bonbon and bouquet bundle is $58.
The bonbons are available in the shop now through Valentine’s Day, but they go do quickly. To be safe, use the link to have a box set aside for you. Extra bouquets will be available at Rooted on a first-come basis February 13 and 14, when both Wonderland Sweets and Rooted will have extended hours (see below).
Three other Wonderland Sweets and Rooted bundles are available for Valentine’s Day gift giving. Find details for all HERE.
Where: Wonderland Sweets, inside Rooted, 1408 N. Main St., Rockford; 815-978-7874
Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday; Extended Valentine’s hours: noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14
On the web: wonderlandsweetsbakery.com
On social: On Facebook; on Instagram
Shop Small for Candy
3) Check out a display of nostalgic Valentine’s lollipops and conversation hearts between 70 jars of old-fashioned bulk candy on one wall and 30 bushel baskets of taffy on another. This is all in front of a refrigerated case with dozens of housemade caramels, turtles, fudge, toffee and truffles (some of them boozy) at Sugar Britches, a tiny downtown Rockton candy store that shares an entrance with a law office.
“We’ve got everything from what you’d find at Grandma’s house to the latest and greatest on TikTok,” said Heather Kline, who with her business partner, JeannieAnn Parma, bought the shop last September from its longtime owner to continue the candy-making and candy-curating tradition. They bring in candy from across the world, too. Look for handmade finds from Great Britain, Canada, Colombia, Japan and Greece (yes, loukoumi prickly pear delights).
How much: Ready-made Valentine candy ranges from 50 cents apiece (peep the lips in the photo) to $3.50 a stem for Bachelor–themed “final rose” chocolate. Housemade chocolates, in the display case, start at $1.50 apiece. Fudge is $20 a pound; most packaged fudge is a quarter pound.
Where: Sugar Britches, 115 W. Main St., Rockton; 815-957-0515
Hours: 12 to 7 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 12 to 4 p.m. Sunday
On the web: sugarbritches.co
On social: facebook.com/sugarbritchesrockton; instagram.com/sugarmamarockton
4) Check out a dulcería (sweet shop) inside a former DMV facility at the edge of a residential area in Belvidere. Owner Ruth Mendez and her husband, Esteban Gutierrez, opened the transformed space, Mexico Magico, in late October. Half of the colorful and cheery store stocks Mexican candy while the rest showcases handcrafts and pottery from Mexico. The extensive selection of sweets includes Mexican chocolate bars, tamarind candy, milk candy, peanut butter candy, chamoy gummies, caramel-coated peanuts, jelly-filled bubble gum, chili-filled lollipops and other tangy and spicy treats.
How much: Gift boxes with fresh-cut flowers and candy start at $35 for the smallest of the three sizes. Assorted candies range from 25 cents apiece to bags and packages that go up to $9 each.
Where: Mexico Magico, 1550 Pearl St., Belvidere; 224-202-2007
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday
Shop Small for flowers
5) Check out cash-and-carry roses and tulips at Flowers on River Park, a neighborhood shop in Loves Park opened last May by Chad Aumann, a former employee of Crimson Ridge after the popular Rockford retail store and flower shop closed. Aumann, who had worked at Crimson Ridge for 23 of its 27 years, runs Flowers on River Park with fellow Crimson Ridge alumni Roger Ebert and Lisa Hardy, who also had worked there over two decades. They know quality in flowers; they’re attentive to customers. Aumann says he and his team are in great shape to keep the pace for the first Valentine’s Day on their own.
How much: $12 for a bundle of cash-and-carry tulips; $25 for a dozen of cash-and-carry roses. As the description says, these are for shop pickup only. For delivery (or shop pickup), arrangements of short-stem red roses (starting at $65) and long-stem red roses (starting at $100) can be ordered HERE or by calling the shop at 815-904-6522.
Where: 430 River Park Road, Loves Park
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday; and by appointment. Extended hours before Valentine’s Day: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14. Check the shop’s Facebook and Instagram pages for updates.
On the web: flowersonriverpark.com
On social: facebook.com/flowersonriverpark; instagram.com/flowersonriverpark
Other local places to Shop Small for flowers
Buckets n Blooms, 647 S. Blackhawk Blvd., Rockton; 815-200-9060
Cherry Blossom, 3304 N. Main St., Rockford; 815–654-1188
Greenlight Floral, 315 Main St., Pecatonica; 815–239-2455
Nyrie’s Flower Shop, 1320 Blackhawk Blvd., South Beloit; 815-389-4646
Pepper Creek, 7295 Harrison Ave., Rockford; 815–332-2103
Petals and Pickin’s, 4616 E. State St., Rockford; 815-977-4883
Stems Floral, 4472 S. Mulford Road, Rockford; 815-853-1223
Event Floral, 7302 Rock Valley Parkway, Loves Park; 815-885-3900
Shop Small for Valentine’s cards
6) Check out fun Valentine’s Day cards both for significant others and for friends at Rooted, the home goods and vintage furniture boutique near The Norwegian brunchpub in Rockford’s North End. At this shop, mentioned above as the home of Wonderland Sweets, you’ll find one of the largest selections of Valentine’s Day gifts in the area — plus what you need to wrap a gift. Find some of Rooted’s Valentine’s selection HERE.
How much: $3 to $6, cards; $6-$7, wrap items
Where: Rooted, 1408 N. Main St., Rockford; 815–494-3649
Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday; Extended Valentine’s hours: 12 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14
On the web: rootedrkfd.com
On social: @rootedrkfd on Facebook; @rooted_rkfd on Instagram
7) Check out a selection of fun Valentine’s Day cards at SRM Prints Studio + Gift Shop in downtown Rockford, where seasonal and empowering cards are always in stock. And while there, look up from the card display and also check out the latest in artist Sarah Reed-McNamara’s block-printed tea towels.
As she does with all her tea towels and runners, Reed-McNamara block-prints the love tea towel with a pattern that she carves on linoleum by hand. This is her first Valentine’s Day at a location where she has the space to do the printing in-house. She moved to the corner storefront on East State and North First streets in August from shared space in an artist collective a block away.
How much: $35
Where: SRM Prints Studio + Gift Shop, 330 E. State St., Rockford
Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
To keep up with weekly changes to shop hours for this mom of two young humans, follow SRM Prints on Facebook or Instagram.
On the web: etsy.com/shop/SRMprints
Valentine’s Pop-up: Saturday, Feb. 10, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with ceramic artists Alyssa Noonen and Emily Rangel-Casio and chainstitch machine embroidery by katy.chains of Madison, Wisc.
Shop Small for clothing and accessories
8) Check out tech gloves — in cashmere — that say XO. Find them and a sweater vest from Spain, with lightly padded shoulders and sequin heart-shaped accents, at Eurostyle+ in Edgebrook, the shopping and dining village in Rockford about 2 miles east of Anderson Japanese Gardens. It’s the first Valentine’s Day for this boutique at Edgebrook, a move that came in early 2023 after the downtown Rockford shop that it had shared space with closed. At this location, Eurostyle+ is near specialty apparel retailers B Jones, Fur Company and Roxy Carmichael.
How much: $54 for the cashmere tech gloves; $58 for the sweater vest, which comes in one size and another color: periwinkle
Where: Eurostyle+, 1649 N. Alpine Road, Rockford; 815–222-7384
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday–Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
On social: @eurostyleplus on Facebook; @eurostyleplus on Instagram
9) Check out a belt bag featuring heart-themed artwork by Brighton designer Tom Clancy. It’s at Roxy Carmichael, which, like Eurostyle+ mentioned above, is decked out for its first Valentine’s Day at a new location. Roxy Carmichael moved to the Edgebrook shopping village last year shortly after Eurostyle+, helping make Edgebrook the new epicenter for women’s apparel and accessories in the Rockford region.
How much: $78
Where: Roxy Carmichael, 1617A N. Alpine Road, Rockford; 815–316-7396
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
On the web: roxycarmichael.com
On social: facebook.com/roxycarmichaelrocks; instagram.com/roxy_carmichael
10) Check out heart shapes from around the world at J.R. Kortman Center for Design, a design concept store in downtown Rockford with gifts for every occasion. The hand-beaded and hand-embroidered miniature brooch (tinier than an inch by 2 inches) is one in a series (two others in which also feature hearts) from a woman-owned company in India that specializes in making wedding garments. The soapstone trinket box and hand-carved soapstone paperweight are both from Africa.
How much: $24, soapstone trinket box; $74, brooch; $6 soapstone paperweight. (The necklace shown with the trinket box has sold.)
Where: J.R. Kortman Center for Design, 107 N. Main St., Rockford; 815-968-0123
Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
On the web: jrkortman.com
On social: facebook.com/J.R.Kortman; instagram.com/jrkortman
11) Check out a variety of heart and XO motifs on hair clips, keychains, earrings, makeup totes, a pillow and an estate-find pin at Ric-Rac Embellishments & Gifts, a pincushion-size shop that opened in downtown Rockton in November. It’s owned by Lisa Abbas, a former history teacher, who had retired during the pandemic and started working at the boutique previously here. Though she is familiar with shop’s coziness, this is her first Valentine’s Day in retail space that’s all her own.
How much: Items on the display shown range from $2 to $25.
Where: Ric-Rac Embellishments & Gifts, 109 W. Main St., Rockton
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday–Saturday; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday
On social: On Facebook
12) Check out a sweatshirt that would warm a dog lover’s heart while shopping for a Valentine-themed collar for your pup. They’re all at Bark on Mulford, a shop in southeast Rockford with temptations for pets and their people.
How much: $36-$38, heart sweatshirts; $24, collars
Where: Bark on Mulford, 2002 S. Mulford Road, Rockford; 815–558-2275
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
On the web: barkonmulford.store
On social: facebook.com/barkonmulford; instagram.com/bark_on_mulford
Shop Small for jewelry
Two pendants, the one on the left an heirloom piece, are staged for a display of jewelry with heart motifs at The Gem Shop in downtown Rockton on Jan. 25, 2024. (Photo by Helen Karakoudas/Special to the Rock River Current)
13) Check out jewelry with heart motifs at The Gem Shop in downtown Rockton. Longtime area residents who are fine jewelry enthusiasts will tell you this place is a hidden gem for unique pieces in a range of prices. The pendant on the left—where you if you look closely you can spot hearts in the platinum filigree—is an heirloom piece. The double-heart pendant, on the right, is in their cubic zirconia collection; it’s set in rose gold-plated sterling silver.
This shop has also been a local source for Pandora charms, bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces and pendants — a line they no longer will be carrying. All Pandora items in stock are at a 30% to 50% savings.
How much: $2,300 for the heirloom pendant; $350 for its 14-karat white gold box-link chain. $120 for the double-heart pendant; $87 for its adjustable 22-inch 1.1-millimeter box-link sterling silver rose gold-plated chain.
Where: The Gem Shop, 110 W. Main St., Rockton; 815-624-6667
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
On the web: gemshop.jewelry
On social: facebook.com/gemshoprockton; instagram.com/gemshopfinejewelry/
Other places to Shop Small for jewelry:
Busch Jewelers, 1960 Pawlisch Dr., Rockford; (815) 332-2222
Clodius & Co., 252 S. Mulford Road, Rockford; 815-227-1200
Gruno’s Diamonds, 801 N. Perryville Road, Rockford; 815-399-1525
Jewelry by Christopher, 6585 Lexus Dr., Rockford; 815-551-2963
J. Kamin Jewelers, 250 N. Mulford Road, Rockford; 815-226-0898
Norma’s Jewelry, 4010 E. State St. #103, Rockford; 815-227-5742
Zavius, 2636 McFarland Road, Rockford; 815-654-4000
This article is by freelance journalist Helen Karakoudas. You can email feedback to news@rockrivercurrent.com.
