Suwanee business takes romantic reins for busy couples

Valentine’s Day is a 24-hour affair. But to Mary Chatman, Cupid’s bow is drawn 365 days a year.

For more than six years, the Gwinnett County entrepreneur has been in the business of romance. Her Suwanee-based decorating service, Creations of Love, works year-round to rekindle the passion sometimes lost between couples in the hustle and bustle of daily life, Chatman said.

“I’m not like a big Valentine’s Day advocate, even though society has focused on that as a time to be romantic,” she said. “We want people to get away from having to have a reason to celebrate love, to be together.”

Creations of Love, which offers standard and customized romance packages, is geared for busy adults and the romantically challenged. Chatman does the decorative legwork herself, often going into a home or hotel suite with rose petals, candles, chocolates, among a host of other goodies, and whipping an area into an oasis of ambience.

Although similar companies exist, what sets home-based Creations of Love apart is its focus on relationships, she said.

Chatman got the idea for the business in 2001, when she wanted to do something special for her spouse. Given her rigorous travel schedule, she and her husband, Scott, “were like two ships in the night.” So for his birthday, she prepared dinner, made flower arrangements, kindled candles and drew a bath with rose petals.

She’s been spreading the love ever since, with expansion efforts in New York and Los Angeles through a partnership with businesswomen in those areas.

“What I found was a lot of times, people are romantic for the most part,” she said. “They just don’t know how to put that into action.”

Among the romantically challenged is LaTonya Traylor of Marietta. The 27-year-old surprised her husband, CJ, by buying a pre-Valentine’s Day decorated suite at the Glenn Hotel in downtown Atlanta.

“I’m not really good at this, which is why I’m using the service,” Traylor said. “I just kind of let Mary take the reins. I told her a few things that he liked, but as far as decorations, I just said, ‘Impress me.’ “

A LOOK AT CREATIONS OF LOVE

> Started: October 2002

> Locations: Suwanee, with expansion efforts under way in New York and Los Angeles

> Packages:

Standard: Rose petals, candles, a certificate and chocolate-covered treats.

Customized: Just about anything, from limo service to Waterford crystal champagne flutes.

To come: Environmentally friendly products such as soy candles, bamboo bathrobes and organic chocolates.

> Cost: Starts at $225

> Trivia: The business will decorate the honeymoon suite for the couple from Georgia who made the top five in Essence magazine’s “Will You Marry Me?” contest.

> More information: www.creationsofloveinc.com/