Valentine's vendors say give from the hearts.

Byline: Garret Jaros The Register-Guard

Hitting the mark with the perfect Valentine's Day gift may not make or break a romance, but like trying to light any fire - it's best to be careful.

"A heart filled with all kinds of chocolates is the best gift for men or women," said a biased Joy DuYan on Saturday from her booth, Joyful Confections, at the annual Sweetheart Market at the Lane County Fairgrounds. The event continues today.

But to DuYan, who positioned her chocolate-filled booth just inside the market's entryway, any gift is good - as long as it's not "useful in the kitchen," she said.

"Like glasses or dishes, nothing domestic," she said, laughing. "Something fun."

The Sweetheart Market is an annual event aimed at Valentine's shoppers, said Kim Still, promotional manager for the market. This year's Valentine's gift selections include heart-shaped candles and candy boxes, heart-shaped jewelry, wall hangings, lotions, oils, and of course - tie-dies with hearts.

For local joke-book writer and merchant David Miller, popularly known as Frog, chocolate hits the spot, at least when receiving.

"The best gift I ever received was a gift certificate for chocolate at a really good place," Frog said.

And the best gift to give?

"I usually give them joke books."

For Dana and Colleen Bauman of Eugene, owners of the market staple Dana's Cheesecake, Valentine's Day has a special tradition.

"We keep it really cheap," Dana Bauman said. "We have a dollar tradition for Valentine's Day. We can't spend more than a dollar on each other."

That isn't easy.

One year Dana Bauman gave Colleen a card with a picture of his foot and an arrow going through it. "That was strange," she said.

For vendor Cindy Sickler of Cottage Grove, just getting a Valentine's gift would be nice.

"I've only been married for like 15 years and he doesn't do that," Sickler said. "Well, wait, I did receive one, but that was private and I couldn't tell you."

For her part, Sickler cooks her husband three square meals on Valentine's Day.

"Hopefully, this year I'll get a house for Valentine's Day because we're supposed to have a house close on Valentine's, so that would be the best one I could ever get."

But if he happened to be reading this in the paper? "A day by myself with no kids would be nice," she said and laughed.

Raven Moon, owner of another market staple, Shape Shifters, said a massage is the best gift he's given and received on Valentine's Day. And despite his vested interest in hawking his wares, Moon's Valentine's gift idea is simple and free. "Just love as much as we can," he said.