Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and it is time to start shopping for that special someone. Now more than ever, supporting local businesses that USC students share a community with is important.
This Valentine’s Day, celebrate love in a special way while supporting the community we’ve come to love. These small businesses around Los Angeles can fill those Valentine’s Day needs.
What better place to start looking for Valentine’s Day gifts than the aptly named With Love Market & Cafe? This West Adams market specializes in fresh groceries and affordable food and drinks – all of which are locally sourced from community coffee roasters and local farms.
Andrew McDowell, the founder and CEO of With Love Market & Cafe, says his business is “all about love” and tries to communicate that message beyond the month of February.
“For us, it’s almost like Valentine’s Day every day, because we’re always giving out drinks and food that has a heart on it,” he said. “That’s who we are, so Valentine’s Day is a day that I think people notice the synergy with what we do all year round.”
Caffeine devotees can treat themselves to the cafe’s chocolate and coffee — each cup adorned with a small heart symbol, making for a very festive sip of the season. With Love Market and Cafe also sells handcrafted celebration cards in an area of the storefront called Preacher’s Corner, which includes some adorable valentines made by local artists that are perfect for the one you admire most.
“What better way to say I love you than with community impact, you know? Like actually doing something and caring for somebody with something that makes a difference there,” said McDowell. “Who wants to buy that corporate love when you can give local love?”
For sweet tooths, Drip Candy Cartel has some sugary Valentine’s treats for just you. The store specializes in chamoy-flavored gummy candies, a traditional Mexican treat.
Julian Everly Shervington Wright is the owner of the business and wants students to know that they are available for delivery.
“We are available on Uber Eats, Postmates and Grubhub, and we deliver to campus and around campus, so people [that] live close to USC, it’s in our delivery area or in the downtown area,” said Wright.
Roses of all kinds are the go-to flowers during Valentine’s Day. Simply Flowers has bouquets for every occasion and suggests another flower option that might be cheaper for those who are on a budget.
“Sunflowers are really a great alternative. They’re cheaper and they’re cheerful and happy,” said Smith, the owner of Simply Flowers. “I mean, they’re yellow. No, they’re not red, pink and white, so they’ll definitely not be marked up with the really expensive Valentine’s Day markup.”
Bianca, a Culver City restaurant with a bakery, offers a number of Valentine’s Day specials. Executive pastry chef of Bianca, Federico Fernandez, runs the bakery part of the restaurant with his wife, Marissa. The restaurant side of their business is run by brothers Johnny Vicuna and Nikola Ventana. As a family-owned restaurant, Bianca is no stranger to love.
“We love love. It’s the DNA of the restaurant and of Bianca,” said Ash Castor, Bianca’s spokesperson. “There’s just that appreciation of love and romance all the time at Bianca, but especially around this holiday.”
Although Bianca is closed on Valentine’s Day itself, the restaurant offers a unique atmosphere perfect for couples looking for an early celebration. Customers can find everything from heart-shaped linzer cookies and chocolate covered alfajor cookies to mixed berry tarts and chocolate-dipped strawberries. Customers can also pair their dessert of choice with a festive floral arrangement from Solstice Bloom, a Los Angeles flower studio collaborating with Bianca.
“There’s so much heart in Bianca…,” Castor said. “And with people coming to Bianca because it’s a beautiful and romantic space and kind of transcends you out of L.A. and into like a European cafe kind of vibe.”
Petal Pushers on Flower Street is a direct source for all things flowers. Located within walking distance to campus, Petal Pushers is a full-service florist that features a vibrant array of creative arrangements to satisfy all Valentine’s Day needs. This year, they are pleased to offer a student discount to students who present their Student ID’s, making floral arrangements more accessible than ever to the USC student community.
“There [has] been a lot of good support on campus. We do a lot of business with sororities, fraternities, deliveries on Monday Nights,” said John Lindsey, owner of Petal Pushers.
“We have relations with Dornsife, Marshall, Annenberg- several of the different schools on campus,” he continued.
Arrangements from Petal Pushers might include beautiful pink tulips paired with a red rose or two, drawn together in a vase wrapped up by a bow of your color choice. Not only are traditional bouquets being offered, this floral boutique also offers custom creations ranging from heart-shaped arrangements to a custom arrangement bar to cater to all of your creative floral needs.
With USC relationships dating back more than ten years, Petal Pushers is a central resource for beautiful floral arrangements for USC students and staff alike.
Petal Pushers has a lot of history and a lot of heart, as Lindsey has been providing the Los Angeles community with floral arrangement services for over 20 years.
“There should be some sense of duty and community to support local businesses,” said Lindsey.
Jenna Peterson, Claire Haskell, and Rory Burke contributed to this report.