Feb. 8—Valentine's Day is under a week away and the staff at Athens Florist have been hard at work creating beautiful keepsake arrangements and baskets full of gifts anyone is sure to love. Owner and creative mastermind Matthew Jimmerson has once again captured the spirit of Valentine's Day in his gorgeous window displays.

During the days leading up to Valentine's Day, the normal staff of five full time employees increases to thirteen, working to give customers the perfect experience. Welcoming customers are the inviting windows, one traditional and one more whimsical, that are designed by Jimmerson.

"I originally was going to school for interior design. Once I had the opportunity to purchase the florist, I scrapped that and went nose first into this. That's always been the core — I didn't just want beautiful flowers coming in and out of the doors, I wanted it to be a destination for people to come," Jimmerson said. "Just come in and feel a sense of peace. Some people are coming in for sympathy arrangements at a time they may need something nice to look at or a place to escape where they aren't thinking of all their grief in that moment."

Jimmerson has certificates and other credentials in interior decorating, but his creativity and love of decorating comes naturally. When it is time for the windows to be changed, he enjoys sketching out his vision and incorporating his love of thrifting into it.

"I like to be thrifty. I use a lot of things from the shop, but I don't want it to be totally merchandise. I want it to be a little taste of what you see inside but also spark the interest and get people inside," Jimmerson said.

The current Valentine's Day display includes thrifted and painted chandeliers and chairs. Jimmerson also built the table for the display to create an intimate setting for two (see photo on page 2A).

"When you walk down the streets of New York, it really does draw you in, because they are not so literal. There might be a mannequin in a dress and you know they sell dresses at that store, but it's the scene they are setting. It is what you want to feel like when you are in those clothes, when you are in that store and how you are going to feel outside of that too. That's how I have it set right now. It is an intimate dinner set for two. It might be around the flowers they purchased here or around the bottle of wine they purchased at Alehouse. I want to set the scene for what we are portraying as the overall goal for Valentine's."

Jimmerson continued, "My windows are not Bergdorf Goodman level, but I do like to do something nice for people in our town to see. Just because we are in a small town, that doesn't mean that we don't have people who travel, and it doesn't mean that we don't deserve nice things, too."

Athens Florist partnered with Athens Alehouse again this year to pair wine and flowers in an arrangement that can be customized to your loved one's tastes.

"The Alehouse are good friends, and we really like to portray what small business in Athens is. It is piggybacking with each other and trying to build off and help each other as much as we can and not work against each other. I really do believe we are better together and that is sort of the theme this year — better together. It applies to your friendships, relationships, and our town," Jimmerson said.

Jimmerson enjoys the opportunity to team with another local business, and being in such close proximity to the Athens Alehouse makes the partnership ideal.

"We like to make one stop shopping for all our customers and those who might be new to both our businesses. They might not have ever patronized the Alehouse or us, so we want to make it a good experience and something we wanted to do together," Jimmerson said.

All-inclusive baskets include Athens Florist's iconic gold-leaf oblong vessel, a choice of wine, and a traditional flower arrangement.

"There are several options to choose from. There are upgrades available if you want to get a bottle of champagne or something that is a little higher price; they can work with that. As for the flowers, we've got roses, spray roses, mini-carnations, baby's breath, greeneries — the flowers you think about at Valentine's Day in a more modern organic design," Jimmerson said.

Pre-orders will be taken at Athens Alehouse through this week and can be picked up on Saturday, Feb. 11, or Tuesday, Feb. 14.

Athens Florist teams with Flirty Flame Candle Company throughout the year, and for Valentine's Day, different gift baskets are available with candles, body and massage oil, wax melts, and chocolates. Jimmerson also has stuffed bears and other perfect gift ideas.

"We have lots of flower options. We'll keep peddling flowers as long as people keep coming in on the 14th. We will keep it going. Whether you have ordered two weeks in advance or you come in two minutes before you need it, we are going to figure something out for everyone and definitely make it look like thought was put into it," Jimmerson said.