Valentines Day 2018: Small Businesses Come Out With Death-Themed Confections to Poke Fun at February 14

Small es put out death-themed confections on 14 February to poke fun at the day

It’s Valentine’s Day! February 14 is officially celebrated as the day of love. On this day, couples not only spend quality time with each other, but also shower their partners with cakes, gifts, chocolates and, of course, lots of love! Without a doubt, most of the gifts have a stereotypical theme. Colours like red and pink dominate the gifting ecosystem, as do heart-shaped packaging. But taking a detour from the mushiness, small businesses are putting out macabre looking chocolates and other bakery items to poke a fun at the ‘Hallmark holiday’, reports the Guardian. And this is not the first time. Reportedly, for the past five years, the biggest Valentine’s Day seller at Danielle Konya’s bakery ‘Vegan Treats’ has been a black heart-shaped box of chocolates called “Fatally Yours.”

This year, the bakery in Pennsylvania is selling chocolates covered with a lid modelled after an Ouija board. The lid features white chocolate skeletal hands, among other creepy looking chocolate treats. Konya, founder of the bakery, states that sales went up by a third this Valentine’s Day. She adds that most of her customers are women buying the box of chocolates as often for themselves as for a partner or friend. ANI quotes Konya saying, “On a holiday that survived on stuffed bears and roses, it satisfies the black heart in all of us. When I think of a black heart, it’s the adversary to the traditional red heart symbol of love. The black heart is complex. Occasionally feels a little dead on the inside and listens to sad songs.”

Check out Vegan Treats’ Instagram post:

“Put me down, put me out of misery I’m fatally yours…” @matttskiba 🖤🖤 Nearly sold out, a handful left in stock and that’s it.

A post shared by Vegan Treats, Inc. (@vegantreats) on Feb 6, 2018 at 9:38am PST

The Guardian reports that small businesses owned by women are looking favourably at death-themed confections on 14 February to not just poke fun at Valentine’s Day, but also let single people treat themselves or offer something different to those disinterested in celebrating a day popularly dedicated to heteronormative romantic love. Another chocolate shop in New York’s East Village, requires pre-orders on their eerily lifelike “Love Is Dead” chocolate skull, which debuted in 2017. The business owners agree that not many have caught onto the ‘morbid and ironic’ twist to Valentine’s Day. Nevertheless, they have their loyal set of customers and Konya believes that Fatally Yours does so well because it recognizes “the heartbreak, humor and dark side of love.