SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) — With Valentine's Day in full swing, it’s been a busy day for many local shops, including Adore Coffee House.
The shop, located on Fifth and Cedar in downtown San Diego, offers locally sourced flowers, artisan items, treats and specialty drinks.
The concept is a collaboration between two women: Kira Ulan and Maryna Goncharenko.
“Today we’ve been crazy busy,” said Kira.
Kira grew up in Kyrgyzstan. She’s the woman behind Luna Flowers, the part of the shop which sells beautiful handcrafted bouquets. She says it’s been one of the busiest days of the year.
“We got much support from the community, I’m very thankful,” she said.
Maryna runs the coffee shop. She grew up in Ukraine and shared that opening this shop last year was a dream come true.
“The neighborhood here is incredible,” she said.
But on Valentine’s Day, as Maryna greets every customer with a warm smile, there’s a piece of her own heart missing.
“It’s a super sensitive day for me…it’s almost been two years that he passed away,” she said.
Two years ago, Maryna’s husband was suddenly diagnosed with stage IV cancer. When the war in Ukraine began, the couple took in Maryna’s family who fled the country. When she wanted to put starting her business on hold, her husband refused to let her quit.
“I have pain that he can’t see how I’m growing and how my business is growing,” she said. “He is part of my business still.”
She says she honors his memory buy putting her heart and soul into everything made at Adore Coffee House — with the goal of bringing people together.
“Everything that I create…I try to think about how people can enjoy small moments. I think he would be proud.”
