Five Things: Heart-Felt Shopping Ideas

Valentine’s Day: Don’t panic – if you haven’t gotten a gift for your sweetheart yet, you’ve got loads of possibilities right here in town. Here are some suggestions:

Flowers: We’ve got several great florists, including Indigo Path, Busy Bee, and Sprigs. My suggestion? Think beyond roses. There are lots of beautiful flowers out there.

Sweets: Of course there are our two candy shops, the Chocolate Delicacy and Sweet Twist, or you might want to swing by Wild Harvest to see what sweets they have. And Felicia’s has lots of great baked goods too.

Jewelry: Check out the lovely items at Alex & Ani, Wood’s Jewelers, Harbour Galleries, and Lost Treasures.

Gifts: Where to start? From The Green Door, Bags By Iris, and Staci’s Lingerie, to Smyle! to just scratch the surface, there are lots of choices here.

Parents’ Night Out: Are you planning a romantic evening for Valentine’s Day? The Children’s Workshop is offering free childcare with some entertainment and snacks so parents can enjoy a night out. This service open to the community. Space is limited. Contact The Children's Workshop in East Greenwich (401) 884-0440 to reserve a space.

Blood donors needed: In the wake of last weekend’s blizzard and widespread power outages, the Rhode Island Blood Center lost nearly 600 blood donations, so they have put out a call for donors, particularly platelet donors, to consider donating blood during the early part of this week, helping to avoid a blood shortage. Each day the Blood Center holds multiple blood drives, besides its regular schedules at its five donor centers. For information about blood drives, please visit the Blood Center’s web site at www.ribc.org. The schedule for the Blood Center’s Warwick donor center (615 Greenwich Ave.) is Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Vacation head’s up: I’m going with the St. Luke’s youth group to the Dominican Republic next week (Sat., Feb. 16, through Sat., Feb. 23) and I’m NOT bringing my computer. In my absence, Asst. Regional Editor Patrick Luce will be editing the site. His email is patrick.luce@patch.com. But if you have something that can wait for my return, please do wait. I will have my phone but will be trying to not respond to work emails!