Valentines Are Sweet at the Chocolate Truffle

is bursting with Valentine’s Day goodies and staff have just one message for customers: don’t wait till the last minute.

One of their most popular items for Feb. 14 is chocolate-dipped strawberries, offered in white, milk, and dark chocolate. The Chocolate Truffle only offers these at Valentine’s Day, and they sell out every year, so pre-ordering is essential. Those strawberries are extremely perishable, so they’re not in the store yet, but all other chocolate is ready for pickup now.

“They don’t need to wait till the last minute because our chocolate is so fresh,” said sales associate Debbie Donovan. The chocolate is locally-made, and what they have in stock now is pretty much what they’ll have for the season.

Last week, Donovan pointed out white chocolate frogs, tinted green and decorated with the words “kiss me.” Those will disappear by Valentine’s Day, she said, a popular gift item for parents to give their kids, especially paired with little solid white, milk or dark chocolate hearts.

Aside from the chocolate-dipped strawberries, the next most popular Valentine’s Day gift is truffles, offered in a variety of flavors. Customers can choose whichever ones they want and have them put in any number of heart-shaped boxes, including one made entirely of chocolate.

While many chocolate purchases go to women, that’s certainly not always true. Popular gifts for boyfriends and husbands are the bacon infusion truffle and the Sam Adams truffle, as well as a full-sized chocolate replica of a men’s dress shoe.

“We even have our handyman Valentine heart, which is our Valentine heart filled with chocolate tools,” said owner Erin Calvo-Bacci.

In fact, sometimes Calvo-Bacci gets clues to a relationship’s seriousness based on how a woman places an order for her boyfriend. “She’ll say, ‘I don’t know if he’ll really like it or not, but I know I will, so I’ll order it anyway because I know I’ll eat it.’ You only hear that from a committed relationship.”

Despite urging people to shop ahead, Calvo-Bacci said Valentine’s Day is a last-minute holiday. She expects to see a peak in business around Feb. 11, with the busiest day on Feb. 14. That the romantic holiday falls on a Tuesday this year is a boon to the Chocolate Truffle, said Calvo-Bacci. When Valentine’s Day is on a weekend, some couples go out to dinner in lieu of gifts; when it falls on a weekday, they may wait to go out until the weekend but still need a gift to give on the actual holiday.

The Chocolate Truffle offers local delivery with orders of $25 and up, but make sure to order early if you’re interested in delivery.