For Chocolate and Flowers, Think L’Arvine

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When Ara Zakarian decided to name his Washington Boulevard shop after his 22-year-old daughter, nothing could have made more sense – his daughter, Arvine, was born on Valentine’s Day; Zakarian’s shop specializes in flowers and chocolate.

L’Arvine Florist & Chocolatier, which moved to Pasadena three years ago from the Los Feliz area, where Ara Zakarian and his wife Maral first opened their shop in 2000, is any good husband’s dream come true – a one stop shop for scrumptious, select chocolates and creative floral arrangements.

The Zakarians can handle more than just dates, too – L’Arvine Florist & Chocolatier has something to make pretty much any important moment one to remember.

“Weddings, baby showers, bridal showers, christening. You name it – everything,” says Zakarian, whose wife, the creativity behind the operation, even offers a wedding planning service.

One huge part of the store’s success is extra rich, top-drawer chocolate, imported specially from chocolatiers in Belgium and Seattle and made with a special cold-casting method that keeps chocolate fresher, longer. When the shop first opened, the Zakarians taste-tested chocolates from all over the world in order to source the perfect varieties.

“It took six month to get the right chocolate, from the right place,” says Zakarian, who first started out by e-mailing companies around the globe for samples. In the end, only two suppliers made the garde. “I only like this one and my customers love this chocolate. They come from all over Los Angeles [to buy it].”

Zakarian says his customers quickly get hooked on the varieties the store stocks, especially the truffles. He even had one customer all the way across the country (in Miami!) order two pounds of his chocolates after getting a taste.

“I know it’s mostly because of its taste,” he says of why his customers love his goods. “It’s rich, with 60% cocoa. That’s why they love it, when you open it you smell [it].”  The chocolates at the shop, which, like everything else sold in the store, the couple makes sure to present beautifully, are a good deal, too.

The second secret to the store’s success is their approach to business: the Zakarians have built their store on convenience for customers.  The shop stocks gifts, like Italian crystalware, so that shoppers at L’Arvine can find everything they need. The Zakarians love to help their customers pick out gifts, offering up the expert advice they’ve developed after nearly two decades of selling flowers, and six years selling chocolates. And they stay open late (except Sundays) especially so that customers can drop in after work or on their way to dinner.

“We’re nice people, with good customer service,” smiles Zakarian. Maybe it’s more than just the chocolate that keeps people coming back.

You’ll find L’Arvine at 1760 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena. For more information call (626) 398-5508.