Don’t forget! Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and offers the perfect excuse to show your loves, big and small, how you feel. Just say no to generic gifting with boring boxes of chocolates or last-minute, lackluster bouquets. Read on to hear our picks for showing your sweethearts some love with one-of-a-kind Chicago-made gifts.

photo: Home Run Inn

A Heart-Shaped, Chicago-Style Thin Crust Pizza
Give the gift of pizza and your beloved will know you truly care. Home Run Inn, everybody’s favorite Chicago-style thin crust pizza will be offering heart-shaped pizzas for pick-up and delivery or dig into your pizza heart at their sweet, family-friendly Lakeview location.

Home Run Inn
3125 N. Sheffield Ave.
Lakeview
773-525-9696
Online: homeruninnpizza.com

Personalized, Professional, Radio-Quality Song from Songfinch
Chicago-based Songfinch offers one of the most personal and heartfelt gifts you’ll ever give: a professional, radio-quality song written with your main squeeze in mind. Complete a story guide providing details around the experience you want to share — for Valentine’s Day this could be characteristics of a loved one or special moments in a relationship —  along with the particular mood or vibe the song should capture and the type of vocalist preferred. Songfinch will handpick the perfect music artist to craft a song to professionally record. One week later,  you’ll receive a downloadable/shareable web page known as a “Story Homepage” where you’ll find your love brought to life in song.

Online: songfinch.com

Garrett Popcorn Sweetheart Mix
Garrett Popcorn Shops, a Chicago Love Story Since 1949, rolled out its latest flavor mashup, Sweetheart Mix, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Featuring premium White Chocolate CaramelCrisp and seductive Simply Strawberry popcorn in an adorable pink and red striped keepsake tin, this is a mix that says I love you with each kernel. The Sweetheart Mix is available through February 14 online and at all Garrett Popcorn Shops.

Available at all Chicagoland Garrett Popcorn locations as well as GarrettPopcorn.com.

Vosges Haut-Chocolat Exotic Truffles
Vosges Haut-Chocolat Exotic Truffles, made with extravagant ingredients like Hungarian paprika, wasabi and Indian curry powder, promise to take your Valentine on a journey via chocolate. Chicago-based luxury chocolatier Katrina Markoff’s mouthwatering, gourmet truffles were inspired by her travels around the world. Each pretty purple box is hand-tied with a satin bow and includes an enclosure booklet that shares the stories behind the flavors.

The Shops at North Bridge
520 Michigan Ave.
Mag Mile
&
951 W. Armitage Ave.
Lincoln Park
Online: vosgeschocolate.com

A Locally-Crafted Bouquet (that gives a little love to a local charity, too)
Flowers for Dreams’ beautiful, bouquets are hand curated daily right here in Chicago. These one-of-a-kind bouquets come wrapped in recyclable cloth or in vases ranging from sustainable, reclaimed wood to vintage tins. Best of all, every purchase benefits an amazing local charity. Give your Valentine a subscription and she’ll receive a bright bouquet reminder of your love weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.

Online: flowersfordreams.com

Macarons from Vanille Patisserie
Macarons, the famed Parisian confectionery, are colorful sandwich-shaped delights with meringue shells and creamy cores. Vanille offers a rainbow of flavors, from mango passion to red velvet and you can customize 6, 12 and 24-piece boxes for your cheri.

2108 N. Clark St.
Lincoln Park
&
3243 N. Broadway
Lakeview
&
Chicago French Market
131 N. Clinton St.
Online: vanillepatisserie.com

photo: Veruca Chocolates

Kiss-Worthy Caramels from Veruca Chocolates
Veruca Chocolates is a charming boutique chocolatier specializing in hand-made artisan chocolates. Their Kiss Me Caramels are handcrafted with top quality chocolate and topped with a red-lipped kiss. Available in 9 piece and 18 piece gift-ready boxes.

2408 N. Western Ave.
Logan Square
&
Pop-up Store
1009 W. Armitage Ave.
Lincoln Park
Online: verucachocolates.com

The gift of pampering
Give your sweetheart the gift of pampering with a Leah Chavie Skincare Boutique gift certificate for a deluxe facial or body wrap/massage. Located in Lincoln Park, the Leah Chavie Skincare Boutique is a research-inspired skin destination, where a relaxing spa day is paired with the most high-tech equipment and exclusive treatments on the market. Gift certificates are available online at leahchavie.com/shop.

Leah Chavie Skincare Boutique
2457 N. Halsted
Lincoln Park
Online: leahchavie.com

Do you have any cool gift ideas up your sleeve? Share in the Comments below!

—Amy Bizzarri

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