CROWLEY – If the number of phone calls and visitors at Aurora Flowers and Gifts and the Crowley Flower Shop Monday was any sort of barometer, Valentine’s Day will be a very busy one in Crowley and Acadia Parish.

“It’s been really busy,” said Jimmy Broussard at the Crowley Flower Shop. “We started answering calls and taking orders at 7:30 this morning (Monday morning).”

“Everybody wants roses, mixed flowers are getting some orders, but roses are today and tomorrow are big rose days,” said Linda Vondenstein at Aurora Flowers and Gifts.

Flowers are one of three of the main items that people look as normal Valentine’s Day gifts.

This year, consumers are expected to spend more this Valentine’s Day than in the last 10 years, making February’s holiday second only to the Christmas season in consumer spending, according to a National Retail Federation (NRF) survey of over 8,000 people, which was conducted by consumer surveyor BIGinsight.

The highest percentage of those celebrating Cupid’s favorite day (41 percent of adults say they don’t plan to) will buy greeting cards, flowers and candy, according to the NRF.

NRF expects that those celebrating the holiday will spend an average of $126.03, up 8.5 percent from 2011 and the most since the survey began 10 years ago. Total spending is expected to reach $17.6 billion.

The Society of American Florists says that this holiday is their biggest for the sales of fresh flowers. Last year, nearly 200 million roses were sold on Valentine’s Day.

The other big ticket gifts include jewelry and eating out, both of which top in price flower sales.

The NRF projects that money spent on jewelry will surpass $4 billion this year. Eating out will add up to about $3.6 billion.

Mobile apps and the popularity of e-commerce are contributing to the growth of the Valentine’s Day industry. Websites make it easier to spend money with discounts and daily deals, something consumers always love.

As for the apps, the free Moonit invites people to send requests to “flirt” or “friend” other users and analyze birthdays to deliver a “compatibility report” such as “You’re 98 percent compatible, we hear wedding bells!” The app saw 15,000 downloads last week as users look to maybe find someone to spend Valentine’s Day with.

The survey also found that 20 percent of consumers plan to give their pets a gift.

At the end of the day, the heart of the holiday appears to still be in the air for those involved in the gift industry.

“Love is still in the air, which is great,” said Broussard.