Spring forward, fall back.
To name a new arrangement, Royer’s Flowers & Gifts is going back to a method that worked well this summer: turning to the public for help.
Royer’s has developed a new European-style arrangement that will be offered year-round. It comes in a clear glass cube and features three types of greens and white flowers: one-dozen roses plus alstroemeria, hydrangea, veronica and stock.
To view the arrangement and enter the contest, visit royers.com/contest.
The deadline to enter is Oct. 20; limit one entry daily per email address.
The winner will receive one of the arrangements as his or her prize.
Category: News
Kids club event Oct. 31 helps kick off book drive for public libraries
It’s boos and bouquets Oct. 31 when we kick off our annual children’s book drive with a kids club event.
Children ages 5 to 12 are asked to bring a new children’s book as the price of admission. Participants will get to make a fall arrangement (photo) and will receive a balloon.
Because the event coincides with Halloween, participants are encouraged to wear their trick-or-treat costumes.
Time slots are available at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Registration is required by calling your nearest Royer’s store.
Royer’s “Bouquets for Books” book drive benefits area public libraries. Marking its 10th year in 2015, the event has collected nearly 14,000 books for the libraries.
We’ve updated our ‘Power of Pink’ arrangement to continue breast cancer awareness efforts
Royer’s fall catalog will arrive in mailboxes just as October ushers in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The catalog includes a new version of our “Power of Pink” arrangement, which is offered year-round to raise money for breast cancer awareness.
The new arrangement features hydrangea and roses in a swirled glass vase and measures 12 inches high and 11 inches wide. It is priced at $56.99 and can be ordered online, over the phone or in-store.
With each arrangement sold, we earmark $10 for breast cancer organizations. In 2015, that meant $4,000 shared equally by two nonprofits, the Lebanon-based Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition and the Middletown-based Feel Your Boobies Foundation.
In the United States, approximately 40,290 women are expected to die from breast cancer in 2015, according to breastcancer.org. However, death rates have been decreasing since 1989 as a result of treatment advances, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness.
‘Bouquets for Books’ children’s book drive returns Oct. 31-Nov. 7
Our annual children’s book drive is back for its 10th edition.
“Bouquets for Books” returns Oct. 31-Nov. 7 to benefit public libraries in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties.
In its nine years, Bouquets for Books has collected nearly 14,000 books for the libraries.
For each book, donors will receive a free bouquet, up to three per family per visit, while supplies last. Used books will not be accepted.
You can view the library systems’ individual wish lists here.
‘Homespun Holiday’ selected as winning entry in our name-the-Christmas-arrangement contest
It was like a Christmas present in need of a bow.
We had developed a new arrangement for this holiday season.
It would come in a red mason jar and include red carnations, white alstroemeria, hypericum, tips of Douglas fir and white pine, pinecones, and shiny red stick-ins.
The only ingredient missing was a name.
But that has been taken care of, too, thanks to more than 450 entries in our online name-the-arrangement contest.
The winning entry: Homespun Holiday
Three people submitted the winning name, and as their prize they will receive one of the arrangements in early December when it becomes available to the public. The winners are Lori Heisey of Columbia; Katharine Hoch of Hummelstown; and Diana Myers of York.
“We received many thoughtful suggestions, but as soon as we saw ‘Homespun Holiday’ we knew it was the one,” said Greg Royer, president and CEO of Royer’s. “Thanks to our winners and to everyone else who submitted names. We can’t wait to introduce the Homespun Holiday arrangement.”
Royer’s food drive collects nearly 2,500 pounds for area food banks
Royer’s annual food drive collected 2,467 pounds of non-perishable items for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and the Greater Berks Food Bank.
From June 20-27, “Royer’s Stems Hunger” asked customers to drop off donations at any of our stores. In return, donors received a free carnation for each food item, up to a maximum of six carnations per family per visit.
Also contributing was Drayer Physical Therapy Institute, which participated in the food drive for the second year in a row. Drayer’s corporate office in Hummelstown and outpatient centers in Camp Hill, Carlisle, Colonial Park, Enola, Harrisburg and Mechanicsburg collected 307 pounds.
In its five-year history, Royer’s Stems Hunger has collected nearly five tons of food.
Sixth-grader Kaitlynn Balmer-Brown wins Royer’s Kids Club birthday card design contest
Kaitlynn Balmer-Brown has been dancing since age 3, studying jazz, tap and ballet. She also expresses herself through art, drawing graffiti-like designs on paper.
“She was good in art class,” said her stepmother, Emily Brown.
And she was plenty good enough to win the Royer’s Kids Club birthday card design contest.
The Lower Paxton Township sixth-grader’s drawing of a flower and balloons graces the electronic card that Royer’s Kids Club members will receive on their birthdays in the coming year. For Kaitlynn’s effort, she will receive a flower delivery on her next birthday.
The Royer’s Kids Club is free to ages 5 to 12. With parental permission, children may register for the kids club at any Royer’s store or online at www.royers.com/kidsclub.
M is for Mother’s Day and a morning on abc27
Having completed three live segments and starting her fourth, abc27’s Karissa Shatzer knew a lot more about Mother’s Day flower options than when she began.
What she didn’t know was which one(s) she liked best.
“Well, after this, it might be even harder to choose because there’s so much here,” she told viewers.
Shatzer interviewed Barry Spengler, Royer’s vice president of operations, at our Camp Hill store on May 4, 2015.
Among the options Barry offered:
- Silk arrangements, which are good for people who suffer from allergies;
- Cut-flower arrangement, already made, for $15 to $30;
- Dendrobium orchids, which are popular for proms, too;
- Rose bunch, which Mom can design and arrange;
- Gerbera daisies.
“That’s a really popular flower,” Barry said. “We sell an awful lot of Gerbera daisies.”
You can see more suggestions by watching the entire segment:
Administrative professionals loyal, social media savvy: survey
When bosses want to tweet, they only need to turn to their administrative assistants for help.
Some 84.3 percent of administrative professionals are social media savvy and are generally more tech-savvy than their bosses, according to Staples’ fourth annual survey tied to Administrative Professionals Day on April 22.
Among other survey highlights:
- Admins also rated higher than bosses when it comes to creative problem solving, sense of humor, being a team player, and likelihood of being described as a friend.
- Nearly 46 percent of admins have been with their companies for six or more years.
- When admins were asked who they would most enjoy as their boss, historical figures topped the list in the United States. Movie stars were preferred by their Canadian counterparts.
Meanwhile, nearly eight out of 10 survey participants said their company does a good job of making administrative assistants feel appreciated. April 22 provides another opportunity.
Leola deliveries uninterrupted by store closing
It was a difficult decision, but we closed our Leola store on Feb. 15 as a result of declining foot traffic at The Meadowbrook shopping center.
Leola remains an important market for Royer’s. Deliveries to Leola are now being handled out of our Ephrata and Lancaster North stores. Leola’s phone number, 717-656-2911, remains active and rings to Ephrata.
Greg Royer, president and CEO, noted that Leola’s five employees transferred to other Royer’s stores. Store manager Tonya Leonard has assumed the same role in Shillington, Berks County; assistant manager Christina Sweigart is now a designer at Lancaster North.
“We’re working diligently to ensure that our Leola customers continue to receive the high-quality service to which they were accustomed,” Royer said. “We value them and hope they will continue to entrust us with serving all of their floral needs.”