NAIROBI, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Undeterred by the scorching heat that enveloped the downtown business district of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, a large crowd milled around Ann Mungai's flower shop Wednesday afternoon, drawn by the aroma of fresh red roses.
Mungai, with her face glowing with excitement, and her young assistants had a hectic time tending to customers inquiring about the price of a meticulously arranged bouquet of red roses as the Valentine's Day frenzy started gathering steam.
"It has been a busy day, and all signs point to a windfall as both offline and online sales of the red roses have hit record highs. Both young and old are determined to treat their soul mates lavishly," Mungai told Xinhua at her shop at the entrance of Nairobi's bustling City Market.
Valentine's Day is popular in Kenya, where lovers of all ages treat each other with flowers, exotic wines, cuisine, and jewelry.
Open-air markets, restaurants, coffee shops, clothing stores, and supermarkets in Nairobi's central business district were bracing for a bonanza as the lovers' day arrived.
At one of the strategically located stalls inside the City Market, Verah Bosibori, a college student in her early 20s, said she wanted to treat each special person in her life by buying stems of red roses and chocolates. "For me, Valentine's Day means more than just treating your lover with a special gift."
Soon after emerging from the January dry spell, flower vendors in Nairobi's open-air markets were staring at a fortune as demand for red roses delivered from farms in neighboring counties soared during the lovers' day.
Peninah Nduku, a vendor at the City Market, said a stem of red roses sold for 100 Kenyan shillings (about 65 U.S. cents), while a bouquet accompanied by a teddy bear and a bottle of wine sold for 32.5 dollars.
According to Nduku, online sales of flowers were up a notch this Valentine's Day, while elderly customers opted to visit her stall and sample the red roses before making a purchase.
To lure youthful clients, Nduku said she had to wrap bouquets of red roses in attractive Manila paper, subsidizing the cost of teddy bears, cups, and ornaments.
James Kimani, a middle-aged flower vendor, observed that Kenyans had defied inflationary pressures to buy large quantities of red roses, reaffirming their strong attachment to Valentine's Day despite its foreign roots.
As flower vendors painted Nairobi's main streets and open-air markets red, the city's retail chains and upscale restaurants geared up for brisk business on Valentine's Day.
According to Beatrice Njoroge, a real estate investment consultant, this year's Valentine's Day has regained its luster after a pandemic-related hiatus, as evidenced by brisk sales of flowers and other luxury gifts.
Njoroge added that higher disposable incomes among the middle class, glitzy marketing, and innovative packaging of luxury items by retailers have combined to create an exciting lovers' day for urban Kenyans.
