February 14th was officially pronounced Valentine’s Day by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496. Nearly 1,350 years later, Esther Howland, a Massachusetts native, is credited with selling the first mass-produced valentine cards in the 1840s. Flowers, Jewelry, and Candy Exchanging presents? If it’s jewelry or flowers, it may be increasingly difficult to find a standalone retailer. Between 2005 and 2013, both the number of florists’ establishments and the number of jewelry stores in North Carolina…

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