For some retailers, Valentine’s Day has done little to pep up one of the slowest months of the year in Bermuda.

Some even told The Royal Gazette it was quieter than normal.

“Valentine’s for us is not as big as other periods,” said Brittany Leamey, retail operations manager at Alexandra Mosher Studio Jewellery. “A lot of people just do champagne and chocolates.”

The store has experienced a number of challenges in the past year, one being the cancellation of a duty-free allowance in the United States.

Half of its customers are from the US, and order from the local store online, with their purchases being shipped to them in the US.

“The US used to give us an $800 duty-free allowance,” Ms Leamey said.

Given that many of the products the company ships cost between $55 and $200, that helped with much of its exports.

The “de minimis exemption”, as it was known, was cancelled last August.

“DHL have also put up their shipping rates,” Ms Leamey said. “Everything has increased slightly.”

To make matters worse, the cost of gold also rocketed from $2,600 an ounce in 2025 to about $5,000 an ounce.

The jewellery store has swallowed the extra costs for its customers as much as possible.

“We are making it work by this year adding several new collections of our pink sand and gemstone fine jewellery,” Ms Leamey said. “We are launching the first of these next month, so March will be busier for us.”

The store tends to see more romantic jewellery as opposed to engagement rings selling on Valentine’s Day. Some men will buy matching heart-shaped pendants, giving one to their daughter and one to their romantic partner.

Liquor and Valentine’s Day would seem like the perfect combination for many, but again retailers reported so-so sales.

Mathew MacDonald, owner of Two Rock Wines at 8 Harvey Road, Paget, said Valentine’s is never a big sales time for the firm.

“We see a little bit of champagne go out the door, but for the most part it's relatively inconsequential,” he said.

In general, the biggest sellers are wine classics such as Sancerre, Burgundy and Bordeaux, among others, with Napa at the high end.

“Fine wine, in general, is really working well,” Mr MacDonald said.

Astoria Smith, of the green beauty salon Lacquered Lounge, at 8 York Street, St George, said while she has seen a slight uptick in people coming in for a pre-Valentine’s day glamming up, for the most part bookings have been consistent.

On Sunday, from noon until 2pm, she will be holding a “Galentine’s Day Out” event focused on self-love.

“On Valentine’s Day we tend to celebrate couples,” she said. “We wanted to do something around self-love and sisterly love. You can bring your sister, aunt, mom or friend and learn more about self-care. We have partnered with Puddles & Paper, who will be selling candy and flower arrangements.”

Various taxes and price hikes are conspiring to inflate the price of Valentine’s Day goodies, but one high-end grocery store says indulgence is winning anyway.

Miles Market, on Pitts Bay Road, Pembroke, has enjoyed a strong trading week in the run-up to Valentine’s Day.

The company’s new website, curated.bm, is allowing customers to order gifts online.

“This has seen increased customer participation this year,” a Miles spokeswoman said. “We are excited about its opportunity as we turn our attention to the next upcoming celebrations of Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.”

To mark the season of love, the company is offering floral displays personally curated by Sally Sewell, its in-house floral and gifting specialist.

Gift baskets and exclusive chocolates and chocolate-dipped strawberry are also available, including decadent Neuhaus chocolates from Belgium.

Sparkling wines and champagne have also been popular.