Happy Valentine’s Day! Cutest East Village Couple Give Love Advice: “There Is No Love Today”

“I love you, God bless you and see you tomorrow,” is how Pilar La Rosa bids adieu to her regular patrons at Pilar Jewelry Repair on East 7th Street. Shopping at her quaint boutique is always a joy, though for the most part we stop by for no apparent reason other than to chat with owners Pilar and her husband Walter. You see, it’s not everyday you meet a happily (and chill) married couple (in Manhattan) that also happen to work together.

This adorably cute couple hail from Lima, Peru, and have been coworkers for the past 20 years at this East Village storefront, which is an accomplishment in itself. What is even more astonishing is that they’ve been married for the past five decades! So on today’s very special love day, we asked the one couple who spends every waking moment together how relationships can function and survive in today’s complex digital love age.

Walter is always soft spoken, listens intently, and smiles with warmth. Pilar, on the other hand, fills up the narrow shop with her laughter and straightforward banter. The pair first met when Pilar was 16 and Walter was 21. Although her parents didn’t approve of Walter, she waited five years for him. It was during that lull that Walter came to the United States to work. He returned to Lima, married Pilar, got her a visa and they’ve been together ever since.

So what’s their secret to a long-lasting relationship? We asked Pilar (because Walter was tending to a customer) what tips she could offer for today’s hopeless romantics who also desire 50 years of marriage.

How do live and work with your spouse and not kill each other?

I will tell you the truth. Working together is not easy. We are not perfect. We are human beings. I do fight with him, but he will never hurt me.

What advice can you offer on Valentines’ Day?

Don’t lie and don’t cheat. But men, no matter how they love, they always cheat.

How can a couple survive in this city?

Couples are too independent today. Couples should do everything together. Women go off with their friends too much. Instead they should bring them over, even the singles ones.

What is the problem with love in today’s culture?

There is no love today. Men and women all want things from each other. They are just thinking what they can get from the other person. They are looking to be comfortable. That is not love. You have to help each other.

So for your all of your jewelry needs and/ or love advice, you know where to go: Pilar Jewelry Repair!