The Candy Factory to increase operating hours for Valentine's Day

Mike Atkinson, the director of sales at The Candy Factory, places a tray of 100 milk chocolate-covered strawberries next to the box in which they will be packaged. The Candy Factory produces many of its treats within the walls of its E. Cherry Street facility. "We make most everything that's chocolate ourselves," Atkinson said.   ¦  Naomi Stevens

COLUMBIA — The Candy Factory prepares for Valentine’s Day by stocking up on chocolate-covered strawberries.

The Candy Factory makes its chocolate-covered strawberries from Feb. 10-14 every year.

“It’s definitely a busy time,” said Mike Atkinson, the director of sales at The Candy Factory. He estimates that more than half the people who visit the store on the days leading up to the holiday come in for the chocolate-covered strawberries.

“We get a lot of calls from people who used to live in Columbia and want us to ship them,” Atkinson said.

He explained that The Candy Factory never ships its strawberries because they might be damaged in transit.

“They are one of our signature products, so we want to make sure our customers are always happy with them,” Atkinson said.