For This Larchmont Flower Shop, a 12-Hour Day and Frantic Lovers

Elizabeth Alfieri's Valentine's Day probably isn't like yours.

The Larchmont business owner—who has operated Larchmont Floral Designs on Chatsworth Avenue for nearly two decades—puts in a 12-hour day every Feb. 14, snipping roses, loading floral delivery trucks and selling arrangements to last-minute lovers.

"It's our second busiest day of the year," Alfieri said Thursday afternoon, as her and a team of three other florists bustled around the shop.

("The first is Mother's Day," she added. "Everyone has a mama, but not everybody is in love.")

The doors open at 7:30 a.m. each Valentine's Day and don't close until 8 p.m., when the shop generally sells out. Throughout the day, a team of three delivery trucks is making the rounds.

Folks who stopped in tp pick up roses earlier this week were calmer, Alfieri said. But today, it's a different breed.

"People that come in today are frantic," she explained. "'Do you still have any?' they'll ask."

Packed into the business are a slate of other Valentine's Day sundries, like chocolates and stuffed animals.

And canine accessories, too. Alfieri's eight-year-old lab is a regular in the store, and friend to all customers.

"He's the second mayor of Larchmont," Alfieri joked.