Pitter Patter and Caroline's Boutiques offered a festive atmosphere Jan. 30, holding their second annual "Galentine's Party," with an eye on one of February's relatively new prominent holidays.

Store manager Catherine Gouge, whose parents own the business, said, "It's just meant to celebrate women and girls, and we encourage boys to come. It's not a problem, and a lot of people bring their children, whether they're girls or boys, and it's just a celebration of February and all the fun that's going on right now."

She added, ""Galentine's ... is supposed to be Feb. 13, but we have markets the next two weeks, so we're out of town, so we did it Feb. 1 last year, but this is the Thursday we could do it."

The gathering included plenty of red-heart decor, free pictures by photographer Rebecca Judy, an assortment of refreshment options, a pop-up charm bar and other offerings.

The website run by Ree Drummond, best known as TV's "Pioneer Woman," describes Galentine's Day as "basically the antithesis of Valentine's Day (which is historically anti-single,) which means it's all about positive, empowering vibes and female friendship." It notes that the phrase was coined in a 2010 episode of the comedy show "Parks and Recreation."

Gouge, referring to the boutiques' seasonal gathering, said, "We plan to continue it. It's been one of our favorite events."