ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — No one knows precisely when chocolate and other candies became the symbol of Valentine’s Day goodness. But would-be swains ignore the day at their peril. Even “old married couples” are known to trade a card, trinket or a sweet piece of candy on Feb. 14.

Baldwin County has the candy situation well in hand.

There are numerous places to pick up a pound or two of sweets, so if you are looking to make the day truly special, why not get something made right here? It will be as fresh as can be, your romantic feelings are supporting the local economy and local candy makers try to put something “special” in their creations you can find at few other places.

Of course, a gym membership might be in order after visiting one of these shops. There’s a 20-pound premium just for sniffing the air in them!

Kandies By Karen on Courthouse Square in Bay Minette got its start around 20 years ago when Karen Giordano began making candies and cakes for her own children and then later for parties and events.

“I became a pre-school director,” explained Karen, “I found cooking added interest to what the children were learning.”

Before she knew it, she had acquired more than 500 candy/cake molds and other gear for making sweets. She started selling some of her treats at the gift shop in “Seasons,” a restaurant her sister owns.

Some of her best, says Karen, are her ganaches that are mouth-meltingly good. Her husband, Dana “Ringo” Giordano, has joined the business and came up with “turtles” that Karen says, “look like a real turtle.” He’s also come up with the shop’s “cookies and cream” bon-bon.

Of course, there have been a few delicious failures along the way, such as their take on a nut bar that was “very good” flavor-wise but “very messy,” according to Karen.

Dana is a meat-cutter and chef, and his expertise has led Kandies by Karen to add more than sweets to the menu.

“We cater weddings and have fresh casseroles,” said Dana.

By 2009, Giordano and her husband were ready to strike out on their own.

“We were going to remodel the carport (of their home),” said Karen.

Insurance problems scuttled that idea, and the couple soon found the Courthouse Square location, in a former law office.

It’s been a good, easy-to-find location, with lawyers stopping in to take some candy to an office they are visiting, or Sheriff’s Office deputies coming in to pickup a treat.

There are a couple of schools nearby, and students earn a trip to the store for good behavior and grades, and many find their way in after school.

The Giordanos keep a supply of pre-packaged candies on their counters for the youngsters.

“It gets so hectic here,” said Karen, “but, it’s a good hectic.”

Chocolate Corner in Gulf Shores, has been owned by Todd Nelson for “four years in July.”

Nelson, who used to own a coffee business, says, “A friend approached me (about the business) and asked if I wanted to get the equipment.”

Nelson, who had never been associated with a candy business said he’d try it.

“Nine days later, I got into it,” he said. “It was on-the-job training.”

The pressure got more intense when a partner decided the business was too much to handle and left.

But Nelson says he found his inner candymaker, learning to “play around with recipes.”

One of his concoctions is the “Beachy Bar,” which combines, chocolate, pecans, white chocolate, marshmallows and caramel. Nelson says it has proved to be a strong seller, and is popular as a wedding favor.

Another store favorite are the “Choco-Flops,” flip-flop-shaped candies that can be produced in just about any color combination. Nelson says these have proved popular as favors for events.

The shop also makes chocolate boxes, edible presentation boxes for more candy, a gift or perhaps … a ring.

When asked if he’d considered going back to the coffee business, he said, “No, this is too much fun. I enjoy this more. Everyone is happy when they come in.”

Punta Clara Kitchen, a Point Clear confectionery, opened in 1952.

“It was started in 1952 by my grandmother, Dot Pacey,” said Kim Clay. Clay explained that Pacey began making cakes and candies for friends and neighbors “in an outbuilding at her home.”

Soon, the demand for the goodies, which included things like watermelon pickles that Dot’s husband, Paul Pacey, a chemical engineer, brought from Illinois, got Dot to make the business full-time.

“It was his mother’s recipe, said Clay of the pickles.

The business moved to “Miss Colleen’s House” along Scenic 98 in 1975 or 1976 when a relative died and left her home to Dot. The front-room kitchen was renovated for commercial purposes, and some rooms were used as offices and a shop.

A back room is used to pack candy for shipment. More recently, the halls and other rooms have been used to display and sell antiques. Just a trip to the store is a look back in time.

While a large kettle is in the logo of the kitchen, Paul Pacey, her son, does not recall his mother using one.

“I think that is the way they cooked candies way back,” said Paul. Pacey is retired from the health care industry and keeps the shop’s books and computer system humming.

Candy recipes came to Dot various ways. And the second and third generations have been relying on the same methods.

Local goodies, such as figs, have been finding their way to Punta Clara for quite some time.

“People around here knew to bring their figs to my grandmother,” said Clay. “They’ve had figs in the yard for years.

“She would just find recipes and her customers liked them, or she’d get requests. She would do lots of pickles and preserves, relishes, and the fudge and divinity are her original recipes.”

Clay grew up around the kitchen and helped out while she was growing up.

“I got more involved when I started working in Fairhope,” she said. As time went on, her own children came to the shop.

“They’d be in the office or in the kitchen,” she said. “Everyone would watch out for them.”

When asked if she has a favorite treat made in the shop, Clay replied, “whatever is in front of me.”

Fudge and pralines are specialties of the store; white-sugar pralines are the biggest seller.

While Christmas and Easter are the busiest times for the shop, there is plenty for a would-be Valentine to select.

The staff will make up a gift basket that is as original as your beloved, and Clay says the chocolate-covered pecans and chocolate krispies presented in a heart-shaped box are Feb. 14 favorites.

Cheese straws are another specialty, so if your Valentine does not care for too many sweets, those can be included in a presentation.

The famous have found Punta Clara Kitchen.

“George Lindsey (“Goober” on the Andy Griffith show) would come in and order goober pies (the store’s version of peanut butter and chocolate), and “Good Morning America” did a segment here in 1999.”