THREAT OF WAR BOOSTS GIFT SALES WEDDING RING SETS HOT ITEM FOR MILITARY.Byline: Marci Wormser Staff Writer PALMDALE - Prospects of war are providing special meaning this Valentine's Day Valentine's Day: see Saint Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day Lovers' holiday celebrated on February 14, the feast day of St. Valentine, one of two 3rd-century Roman martyrs of the same name. St. for some Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley residents. Kevin Jewelers in the Antelope Valley Mall The Antelope Valley Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Palmdale, California. Opened in September, 1990, its buildings take up around 1 million square feet (90,000 m²). Its physical main building, parking lots, and ring road businesses encompass an area a bit less than 0. received 40 percent more business during the second week of February than last year, part of it from military men rushing to buy engagement rings for their girlfriends, an employee said. ``We're getting a lot of proposals this year,'' said Christine Hensley, a Kevin Jewelers diamond consultant. ``My husband is in the military and he's been sending his friends to me (to buy rings). ... You also get a lot of customers sending their wives jewelry before they ship out.'' Before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, tennis bracelets were the store's most popular Valentine's Day item, Hensley said. As threats of war and terrorism grew, tennis bracelets became passe pas·sé adj. 1. No longer current or in fashion; out-of-date. 2. Past the prime; faded or aged. [French, past participle of passer, to pass, from Old French; see and engagement rings became the craze, she said. This week, the average Valentine's Day sale was $1,000, she said. Watching several men walking through the mall on the evening before Valentine's Day, Hensley added: ``Men are walking around, helpless. They're like zombies Zombies Companies that continue to operate even though they are insolvent. Also known as living dead. Notes: It's advisable to avoid investing in zombies at all costs their life expectancies are highly unpredictable. . They've got that dazed daze tr.v. dazed, daz·ing, daz·es 1. To stun, as with a heavy blow or shock; stupefy. 2. To dazzle, as with strong light. n. A stunned or bewildered condition. look in their eyes. I think they're scared. Their wives probably say, 'Don't come home empty-handed.''' Jewelers aren't the only ones reporting increased sales this February. Florist Michael Mitchener, co-owner of 1-800-SUNFLORIST.COM (1) (Computer Output Microfilm) Creating microfilm or microfiche from the computer. A COM machine receives print-image output from the computer either online or via tape or disk and creates a film image of each page. on Rancho Vista Boulevard in Palmdale, said flower sales ran higher this year than in previous years, reversing his anticipation of effects of a slower economy. ``We were planning for a slower holiday,'' Mitchener said. ``But we have all been running around like chickens with our heads cut off.'' ``Valentine's Day is not an area people are willing to cut back on. It only comes once a year,'' he added. Mitchener's most popular Valentine's Day item was a $114.99 package that consisting of candy, roses, a card, stuffed bear, balloon and gift certificate. ``We haven't seen our average sale drop at all,'' he said. ``It's the same or even a little bit more.'' For his part, Llano lla·no n. pl. lla·nos A large, grassy, almost treeless plain, especially one in Latin America. [Spanish, plain, from Latin pl resident Randy Phares didn't need to be cajoled into buying his girlfriend something romantic for Valentine's Day. In addition to diamond earrings, Phares purchased a balloon and a rose and said he was not done shopping. He estimated he'd spent close to $1,000. ``I drove in the rain (Wednesday) over a two-hour trip to get the earrings in Woodland Hills,'' Phares said. ``But she's worth it.'' For her part this Valentine's Day, Hensley the diamond consultant said she'd asked her husband for only one thing - a black Chihuahua. ``He can put a tennis bracelet around it if he wants,'' she said with a laugh. |
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