skip to main content

Royer’s at 85: Expansion to Ephrata

Posted on by Neal

The new Ephrata store as it looked when it opened in 1983. (Photo: Ephrata Review)

This is part of a series of occasional blog posts about important events in Royer’s history as the company marks its 85th anniversary in 2022.
In 1991, a reporter for the Lancaster New Era newspaper asked then-Royer’s president Ken Royer how the company had been able to grow from its flagship location in Lebanon to 18 stores throughout the region.
“What we did first was figure out our niche,” Ken said, “determine what kind of store we wanted to be. You can’t be all things to all people and maintain the element of control that is so vital.”
He noted that many flower shop owners could do well with one or two locations if they were relatively close to one another.
“But when we opened the Ephrata store in 1969, we crossed that mountain, so to speak,” he said. “The Ephrata store was in a different county from our Lebanon base, and I couldn’t be there all the time, yet I had to make things happen there.”
Ken’s mother, Hannah, started what would become Royer’s in 1937 without really knowing it. She was just growing African violets on the windowsill of her Lebanon home until a neighbor offered to sell some of the plants at the garment factory where she worked.

Acquiring For-Get-Me-Not

What evolved into South Side Flower Shop and ultimately Royer’s Flowers & Gifts comprised only the Lebanon store until the expansion 20 miles east into Ephrata, Lancaster County.
Royer’s acquired the For-Get-Me-Not Flower Shop in Ephrata, which Paul Weik had founded in the 1940s. The store, adopting the Royer’s name, moved from 9 W. Main St. to larger space next door at 11 W. Main St.
It remained there until April 1983, when it relocated to yet larger space, a former Arco gasoline station at 165 S. Reading Road, across Route 272 from the Ephrata Cloister. Jim Martin, who had owned the gas station, joined Royer’s as a delivery driver in Ephrata.

Royer’s turned a former Arco gas station into its Ephrata store, which continues to operate today. (Photo: Ephrata Review)

Royer’s spent $100,000 to remove underground gasoline storage tanks and renovate the building, expanding it from 1,500 square feet to 4,500 square feet and adding a greenhouse and walk-in cooler for customers to select loose flowers.
The new Ephrata store celebrated a five-day grand opening in June 1983 with a circus theme and a visit from Miss Lancaster County.
By that time, Ephrata was one of seven Royer’s stores, with a first York store soon to open.
Royer’s had found its niche, which we’ll explore in a separate installment in this series.
 
 
 
 

Royer’s at 85: Planting roots in Lebanon

Posted on by Neal

This is part of a series of occasional blog posts about important events in Royer’s history as the company marks its 85th anniversary in 2022.
Like any great success story, that of Royer’s Flowers & Gifts began humbly in 1937. Hannah (Mom) Royer grew African violets on the windowsill of her Lebanon home. A neighbor who worked at a local garment factory offered to sell some of the plants to her co-workers.
The success that one day would make Royer’s one of the largest florists in America didn’t happen overnight. Hannah’s husband, a teacher in the Lebanon School District, added greenhouses to provide additional growing space.
In 1947, Lester joined the flower business full time. Around that time, the Royers converted their garage into a retail store called South Side Flower Shop and Hannah attended floral design school in Gloucester, Mass.
 

Ken Royer, left, and his father, Lester, at South Side Flower Shop.

‘Most beautiful place to shop’

It wasn’t until 1964 that the family – son Ken was a partner in the business by then; his wife, Jean, was the office manager – introduced what it called a “modern flower shop” to replace the remodeled garage. That new store, at 810 S. 12th St., remains the flagship among the 16 locations in six counties that Royer’s operates today.
Royer’s celebrated the new store with a grand opening March 25-27, 1965.
“You are invited to the Royer’s South Side,” read the headline on a full-page newspaper ad.
The copy continued: “To serve you better, we have created this area’s most beautiful place to shop.”
Not only was the grand opening an opportunity to showcase the new store, but its timing was strategic, too, as Easter fell on April 18 that year.
 

The photo above appeared in the Lebanon Daily News on the first day of the grand opening. In it, Ken Royer, right, presented “floral tributes” to Lebanon Mayor J. Gordon Smith, left, and a representative of the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce.
“The firm,” the caption read, “has completely modernized its quarters at 810 S. Twelfth St.”
 

Where are they now? Former Royer’s Kids Club members Alex and Marisa Heisey

Posted on by Neal

Siblings Marisa and Alex Heisey were regulars at Royer’s Kids Club events.

 
If Marisa Heisey ends up at a college in western Pennsylvania, the Conestoga Valley High School junior will follow in the footsteps of her older brother, Alex. He is a sophomore at Grove City College, an hour north of Pittsburgh.
It wouldn’t be the first time the close siblings have walked similar paths. A decade ago, they won Royer’s Kids Club contests in back-to-back years.
In 2010, Alex, then in third grade, won the kids club’s birthday card design contest. In 2011, Marisa, then in first grade, won a back-to-school coloring contest. (In 2017, while in seventh grade, Marisa also won the birthday card design contest.)
Alex and Marisa are the children of Nevin and Joy Heisey of East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County. At the time of Alex’s win, his mother said, “Both of my kids love flowers.”
We caught up with Joy recently for an update on what her children, long since having graduated from the kids club, are up to now.

Majoring in business management

Alex in 2010, when he was in third grade.

At Grove City College, Alex is majoring in business management with a focus on supply chain.
“He loves Grove City,” Joy said. “He really is enjoying his experience there.”
While some colleges resorted to online studies-only during the pandemic, Grove City stuck with in-person classes, albeit at times with mask requirements.
“He’s very thankful to be in-person on campus this whole time,” Joy said.
His varied interests and busy schedule have taken Alex beyond his school’s campus, too.
Through his involvement with Impact, Grove City’s outdoor adventure leadership program, Alex has backpacked in southern Virginia, ice climbed in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and skied in New York.
He is a library aide, training to become a tour guide, and a member of the school’s human-powered vehicle club. The latter involved designing and building something that resembled a recumbent bicycle and racing it in Michigan.

Leaning toward nursing school

Seventh-grade Marisa with her prize in 2017.

When we spoke with Joy, she had just come back from one of five planned college visits with Marisa, who is leaning toward nursing school, either in Pennsylvania or Ohio. She was preparing to take the SATs in May and again in June.
Marisa is active in student council, music and science honor societies, school bible study and her church’s youth group. She is one of eight Conestoga Valley girls participating in a mentorship program through the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce. She works in the bake shop at Kitchen Kettle Village.
“She still loves drawing,” Joy said. “She’s very much (into) water colors, she likes to paint ceramics.”
Joy fondly recalled her children’s involvement with the Royer’s Kids Club. They were such regulars at kids club events that store employees knew the family members by name, Joy said. Marisa was officially too young for the club when Alex started going, but the staff would let her participate anyway.
The Heiseys still have mugs, vases and baskets from the various kids club event projects.
“That’s a good memory,” Joy said of attending events.
Better still, the kids club events seem to have inspired a lasting love for flowers in Joy’s children.
Last fall, Marisa won a flower-arranging contest at the West Lampeter Fair, just as she – and Alex – had done in years past.

Royer’s Flowers opens heart of Valentine’s Day operation to news media

Posted on by Neal


On Feb. 7, Royer’s Flowers & Gifts welcomed WGAL, abc27 and PennLive/The Patriot-News to the heart of its Valentine’s Day operation, at its corporate complex in Lebanon.
Geoff Royer, vice president of central operations, noted the importance of ordering flowers early to guarantee availability. The pandemic has seen unprecedented demand for flowers that have become harder to source.

“We’re trying to get the word out sooner so that people can get their flowers delivered earlier,” Geoff told Pennlive/Patriot-News. “And then they get to be the hero because their flowers get delivered before anyone else’s … your wife or girlfriend will get their flowers Thursday, Friday or Saturday, instead of Monday.”

This year’s Super Bowl is the latest ever: the day before Valentine’s Day. Royer’s is reminding customers not to overlook ordering flowers as they prepare for the football game.

“We are delivering on Sunday, too,” Geoff said. “So, you could get your flowers delivered on Super Bowl Sunday and then be the hero at your party because your wife gets flowers at the party.”

Purchasing these arrangements supports local animal shelters

Posted on by Neal

 


The needs of animal shelters are diverse, from pet food to cleaning supplies, toys to towels. And they are costly to address, especially for non-profit organizations.
To help, Royer’s donates a portion of the profits from the sale of its Puppy in a Basket and Kitten in a Basket arrangements to animal shelters in its seven-county market area.

To kick off the program in 2021, Royer’s sent $100 checks to 10 area animal organizations:
Humane Pennsylvania, serving Berks and Lancaster counties; Animal Rescue League of Berks County; Speranza Animal Rescue in Mechanicsburg; Castaway Critters and Humane Society of the Harrisburg Area in Dauphin County; Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter in Chambersburg; 2nd Chance 4 Life Rescue in Elizabethtown; Columbia Animal Shelter; Humane Society of Lebanon County; and York County SPCA.

“Plants and pets bring great joy to our lives and add warmth to our homes,” said Tom Royer, CEO of family-owned Royer’s. “We’re eager to support local animal shelters and the great service they provide in our communities.”
Available year-round, the arrangements comprise a seven-inch plush dog or cat surrounded by a three-quarter round arrangement in a basket with carnations, daisy and button poms, statice and babies breath.
Each of the arrangements is 10 inches high and 10 inches wide and retails for $44.99.
 
 
 
 
 

Royer’s Flowers presents American Red Cross with thousands of holiday cards for area veterans

Posted on by Neal

Continuing an annual tradition, Royer’s Flowers & Gifts on Dec. 7, 2021, presented several thousand holiday cards and coloring pages to the American Red Cross for distribution to area veterans.
Royer’s, which has participated in the Red Cross “Holidays for Heroes” program for nearly a decade, collected the cards from the public in each of its stores throughout November.
WGAL News 8 and abc27 were on hand at Royer’s Harrisburg East store as Barry Spengler, Royer’s chief administrative officer, transferred boxes of cards and coloring pages to Jonathan Glenn, regional program director, American Red Cross.

Royer’s Flowers donates to 10 area animal shelters

Posted on by Neal

From left, Geoff Royer, vice president of central operations, and Tom Royer, president and CEO, Royer’s Flowers & Gifts, which has donated $100 each to 10 area animal shelters. Royer’s sister company in the Columbus, Ohio, area, Connells Maple Lee Flowers & Gifts, made similar donations to four shelters there for total contributions of $1,400.

Plants and animals just go together.
Consider the former that are named after the latter, from cattails to hound’s tongue, elephant ear to bird of paradise, rattlesnake orchids to zebra grass.
Royer’s Flowers & Gifts even offers arrangements featuring plush animals, including Kitten in a Basket and Puppy in a Basket. Under a new program, Royer’s is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of those two arrangements to area animal shelter and rescue efforts.
For the first awards, family-owned Royer’s is sending $100 checks to 10 area animal organizations:
Humane Pennsylvania, serving Berks and Lancaster counties; Animal Rescue League of Berks County; Speranza Animal Rescue in Mechanicsburg; Castaway Critters and Humane Society of the Harrisburg Area in Dauphin County;
Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter in Chambersburg; 2nd Chance 4 Life Rescue in Elizabethtown; Columbia Animal Shelter; Humane Society of Lebanon County; and York County SPCA.
“On behalf of the Royer’s Flowers & Gifts family, please accept this gift in support of the love and care your organization provides to animals,” wrote Tom Royer, president and CEO of Royer’s, in a letter accompanying each donation.
The Kitten in a Basket and Puppy in a Basket arrangements are available year-round.

Royer’s Flowers saluting veterans Nov. 11 with free red, white and blue bouquets

Posted on by Neal

Royer’s Flowers & Gifts will honor veterans with free patriotic bouquets on Nov. 11.
The bouquets – featuring a red carnation, a white carnation and a blue bow – will be available in-store only at any of Royer’s 16 locations in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties.
“This is one of our favorite annual traditions,” said Tom Royer, president and CEO of family-owned Royer’s. “These men and women, along with their families, make great sacrifices while serving our country. It’s our privilege to honor our veterans.”
Non-veterans may purchase the bouquet for $2.10 each.

Royer’s Flowers and sister company in Ohio donate $10,000 to women’s charities

Posted on by Neal

From left, Geoff Royer, vice president of central operations, and Tom Royer, president and CEO, Royer’s Flowers & Gifts, which has donated $7,250 to six women’s charities. Royer’s sister company in the Columbus, Ohio, area made similar donations totaling $2,750 for total contributions to women’s charities of $10,000.

Royer’s Flowers & Gifts has donated $7,250 to six women’s charities throughout its market area in central and eastern Pennsylvania.
Family-owned Royer’s earmarks $10 for women’s charities for every sale of its Admiration arrangement, which is available year-round.
This year’s recipients and the amount of their awards: Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, $2,500; Junior League of York, Junior League of Harrisburg, Junior League of Lancaster, and Junior League of Reading, $1,000 each; Girls Who Code, Harrisburg/Hershey clubs, $750.
“My grandmother Hannah Royer started our company,” said Tom Royer, president and CEO of Royer’s Flowers. “Our family has a keen appreciation for the vital role that women play in our families and communities and for the importance of encouraging female empowerment.
“We’re grateful to our customers for supporting our efforts with their purchases and to this year’s recipients for the significant contributions they make on behalf of women. Congratulations to each of the recipients. It is our pleasure to support them.”

Kenneth Royer inducted into SAF Floriculture Hall of Fame

Posted on by Neal

It was his mother, Hannah, who started what is now fourth-generation family-owned Royer’s Flowers & Gifts.
But Kenneth Royer proved to be an industry pioneer in his own right during a 60-year career with the company.
In September, the Society of American Florists recognized Royer’s contributions, inducting the Lebanon resident into the Floriculture Hall of Fame at the association’s annual convention in Orlando, Fla.
SAF noted that Royer was the first florist in the country to implement computerized systems for his stores and was among the first florists to import flowers directly from South America.
“His business strategies were so successful that in 1998 he published the book, ‘Retailing Flowers Profitably,’ and held dozens of seminars on topics from marketing to management and post-harvest care,” according to an article on SAF’s website. Royer also served on the boards of SAF and the American Floral Endowment.
His son Greg, chairman of Royer’s, accepted the award on his father’s behalf. He said Kenneth Royer “was speechless” upon hearing about his induction.
“The highlight of his year was coming to meetings like this,” Greg Royer said. “He still has a passion for the industry.”
Industry recognition is nothing new for Kenneth Royer. In 1983, he was inducted into the American Academy of Floriculture and named Pennsylvania Retail Florist of the Year. In 1986, SAF presented him with its Golden Bouquet Award. In 2004, he received the FTD Lifetime Achievement Award.
Hannah Royer started growing African violets on the windowsill of the family’s home. She sold them at a local farmer’s market before she and her husband, Lester, converted their two-car garage into a flower shop.
After school, Kenneth Royer helped by delivering flowers to customers. After high school, he joined the business full-time, eventually growing it into one of the largest retail florists in the United States.