Melissa and Joe Gorga Give Us A Look Into Their Gift Giving and Valentines Day Plans

As part of a promotion for a meet-and-greet at the store last night, Schultz Furrier asked the question, “What are you getting your superstar for Valentine’s Day?”

And an answer came from two of the most famous lovebirds on reality T.V. – Joe and Melissa Gorga from Real Housewives of New Jersey. The pair made an arranged appearance at the Millburn, N.J. luxury outerwear shop to show off a new mink coat Joe purchased there for his wife to mark the occasion.

RealityAired.com was there when Melissa came in the door in her $15,000 black sheared mink walking coat with tulip bottom and natural lynx trim. Joe also bought their six-year-old daughter, Antonia, a coat at Schultz – a $500 cashmere with blue fox trim.

Last night at Schultz Furrier - Getty Images

“Joe has bought every coat I own,” Melissa tells us. “I usually put my two cents in, but he’s bought me incredible coats and jewelry.” She adds, “He picked out my engagement ring, and the first piece of jewelry he ever gave me (when the two first became a couple) was a diamond tennis bracelet for Christmas.”

“Melissa picks everything – I just pay,” Joe insists. He notes she has three or four other furs in her closet, and that this is the second fur he’s gotten his daughter.

But Joe says there will be more for his two ladies when Valentine’s Day actually arrives. He’s keeping his other gift for Melissa a secret but he did give us a hint. “It’s in the jewelry line and it’s already purchased. She’s going to lose it when she sees it. She has no idea. Surprises keep the marriage alive.”

Antonia, on the other hand, will know what to expect when next Tuesday comes. “I give her chocolate and a different stuffed animal every year, and she sleeps with it all year (the toy of course),” Joe says.

Did Melissa get Joe a gift?

She’s a card person when it comes to giving her husband a Valentine’s Day present, Melissa says, and selecting just the right one and adding her personal touch is something she takes a lot of care with. “It takes me like an hour to pick out the card, and I write a letter inside – like four pages long.”

We also wanted to know how the Gorgas usually spend Valentine’s Day. Melissa says that when it falls on a weekday they’ll have a nice dinner out with the kids and then Joe and Melissa will have their celebration alone on the weekend.

“I have a lovely time with my wife – a romantic dinner,” Joe explains. This year they’ll be going to a restaurant in New York City.

We had to ask the couple a little something about what we can expect next on the show next season, and about whether they’ve enjoyed their celebrity as new members of the cast. “It’s been good and bad,” Joe says, referring to problems we’ve seen with his sister, Teresa Giudice. He notes the new season will be ”wild and fun.”

Joe and Melissa mingled with the invited guests during the evening – fans of the show who are Schultz customers. We overheard Joe exchanging stories with one woman about Paterson, N.J., where he grew up. Champagne and hors d’oeuvres were served, with the food coming from The Brownstone in Paterson, owned by RHONJ’s Caroline Manzo and clan. Tony Santana of the Cigar Vault in Toms River, N.J. sat at a table rolling cigars cured in scotch and honey by hand.

Schultz owner, Robert Schultz, showed RealityAired.com around the store. He notes it’s a four generation family business that started in Berlin, Germany. Pieces carried in the shop range from ski jackets with fur trim to the finest floor-sweeping wraps for an evening gown.

The company has a more nearly 13,000 customer base spread out over the tri-state area.

“I think it’s a privilege to have them (the Gorgas) to in some way represent us tonight,” Schultz says. “They’ve been here before. They had heard about us and about our reputation.”

On a second floor level there’s a private room for “VIPs” located behind a concealed sliding door. Inside there’s a bar and comfortable seating where Schultz’s best customers can ponder their choices. They can also make more selections by looking from the VIP room out onto the racks via a two-way mirror.

“We’re usually packed with people, so this is for people who want some privacy,” Schultz explains.