We may not be gathering the way we want to right now, and we’re certainly not doling out hugs excessively, but there are still lots of ways we can show our virtual team some love this Valentine’s Day—and locally!

Cookies and Candies

Enjoying a sweet treat is a given while celebrating Valentine’s Day. What better way to nom together than by partaking in specialty treats while supporting in-town bakeries?

Jenny Cookies offers a variety of new treats and themes each month at their local bake shops. Of course, Jenny goes all out and has the cutest “Valentine Breakfast” buttercream sugar cookies. You can preorder cookie sets by the dozen and pick up in Alderwood or Lake Stevens.

Mixed by Jodi is a home-based bakery in the suburbs of Seattle offering specialty baked goods from scratch. Enjoy a set of decadent Raspberry Cheesecake Cupcakes! No team member is going to want to turn down a treat as fancy as these and they’ll definitely be snapping photos for the ‘gram.

HouseWares in Edmonds is double local: they sell beautiful boxes of Fran’s chocolates that are easy to grab and gift!

And, sister-owned Sugar Belle Bakery in Lynnwood has lots of dairy-free (and dare we say…diet-friendly?) sweets that are just as beautiful as they are delicious.

Florals

Is it really Valentine’s Day without flowers? Pretty bouquets always bring a smile to the faces of the ones we love and appreciate.

FIELD by Morgan and Moss focuses on florals that are fresh, local, and seasonal. They are offering the sweetest valentines arrangements at various price points: simple and beautiful bud vases all the way to extravagant bouquets.

Twisted Bramble is another local florist that is eco-friendly with local and seasonal blooms. While she offers gorgeous bouquets for anyone, owner and florist Meghan also has special arrangements for celebrating Galentine’s Day! If you’re part of a fully female team, these are the bouquets for you.

Gift Boxes

If you’re looking for a more creative option, Carefully Curated Gifts is a sure bet. Owner and curator extraordinaire, Kaela, offers witty and quality gift boxes anyone is sure to love. Encourage your team to indulge in self-care with a “First Things First, I’m the Chillest” or “Mini Lavender Lovelies” box—or build your own! What better way to say “I appreciate you” than by giving a gift box built with them in mind?

Art

There are few gifts more thoughtful than art. Whether you are looking for adorable prints, stickers or even a card, Still Blooming Co. has it all. They offer cards that are a reflection of the beauty in the PNW and prints that can go on your team’s desk or displayed in their office! There will always be a sweet reminder of you in their space, and that is a gift that will keep on giving.

Wellness

Showing your team new wellness options is always a great way to appreciate them. If they have just a few minutes to spare, BodyWorks Massage in Edmonds is just the place! Treat your team to twenty minutes of relaxation with a compression massage and red light therapy or call ahead to have some Bizzy CBD set aside for them, which can be purchased from BodyWorks, too.

The Sauna Hut is another great self-care option that’s right next door! Their infrared saunas offer huge health benefits, like pain relief, relaxation, and detoxification. Sessions can be either thirty or sixty minutes and the whole experience is contactless!

Even men love to get pampered—some just don’t know it yet. Splash Nail Bar in Mountlake Terrace is THE spot for manis and pedis. Your teammates’s hearts will swell knowing you’re investing in their rest-relaxation, and tired typing fingers.

Lastly, encourage your team to get up and move their bodies. Pure Barre is now open in Lynnwood and offering classes that deliver a total body workout focused on low impact and high intensity movements.

Gift Cards

There is nothing wrong with gift cards! They allow the flexibility of curating your own experience. And, since everyone has their own foodie preferences, a gift card to one of the area’s most innovative happy hour restaurants is a sure win. Vinbero and Kelnero in Edmonds make for a fun dining experience, with the former specializing in wine and charcuterie and the latter focusing on cocktails.

In Lynnwood, send them to Isarn Soul Kitchen, where they can sip drinks out of real coconuts and take their palette on a mouth-watering adventure through a delightful Thai street food menu. Subs more their style? Sponsor their lunch at Tubs!

Over in Mountlake Terrace, send them to Double DD Meats to put together their own dreamy dinner. Or, if you want to hedge your bets on not knowing their preferred proteins, grab a gift card to Cinnebarre where they can treat themselves to dinner and show.

Hey, coffee and tea are easy. So are those Safeway chocolate boxes (not that we’d deny them if one landed on our doorstep—just saying). We wanted to take your thoughtfulness up a notch this year, especially since most working-from-home teams probably aren’t expecting you to love on them for Valentine’s Day. In our opinion, that’s even more reason to grab one of these local gifts.

Love on your people. Love local. We all need it more than ever.

XO,

Emilie and Whitney

Emilie Given is a virtual assistant agency owner in Lynnwood, and Whitney Popa is a writer and communications consultant in Edmonds. They write this column together to share work-from-home ideas. They love where they live and are grateful the virtual world allows them to achieve more work/life harmony. They also co-host a weekly podcast where they share their entrepreneurship journeys while learning about those of others. You can learn more about Emilie here and more about Whitney here.