FARMINGTON – Decisions. Decisions.

That’s the quandary facing customers at Farmington’s Mountain View Chocolate Shoppe conveyed on Friday afternoon as their eyes darted between truffles and turtles, clusters and cherry cordials.

Since Monday, the store has cleared 3,500 pounds of fine chocolates, owner Pam West guessed conservatively between packing white boxes with plump red strawberries dipped in and then drizzled with velvety chocolate and ringing up customers.

They were closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

For every customer who exited the store, their arms laden with pretty boxes wrapped with gold string, two more entered.

The shoppe sold 5,000 pounds for the Christmas holiday and Valentine’s Day is an even bigger sales event, explained West.

Chocolate is tradition, she said, and is everyone’s favorite comfort food because it makes them feel happy.

The dipped strawberries were the hottest items. In a day and a half, she’s sold over 60 pounds of them. 15 pounds of cherry cordials.

“We are a little busy around the edges, but we like it that way,” West joked to a customer.

Despite the chaos, she took time to wish each customer a happy holiday, ask them if they’d like the candy boxes bagged in plastic as to hide the contents and offer an Atkins diet friendly Valentine’s Day treat, a scratch and sniff card that with a few wipes releases a rich cocoa scent that causes the tastebuds to pucker in anticipation.

“We try to take out as many calories out as we can, but it’s just not possible,” West teased a customer.

A few men ambled about, but surprisingly, it was mostly women who fluttered about the store, browsing and drooling as they savored the selection process of deciding on each piece to purchase.

“Flowers just kind of go,” said shopper Kathi Shewsbury, her voice dropping off and she searched for the word. “But chocolate,” she said, “let’s just say it causes a chemical reaction in the female physiology. It extremely enhances our sense of well-being.”

Laughing, West said the men do come in, most of them with lists their wives left on the table.

Steven Smith, West’s son, was there to help keep the mobs of last minute chocoholic shoppers under control.

Valentine’s Day is more for the women then the men, he said.

So where are those gift-seeking men?

“Oh, the guys,” Smith said, chortling. “They’ll be in here tomorrow.”

[email protected]