Thank you to everyone who joined us Jan. 20 for the first of five kids club events planned for 2018.
Be sure to mark your calendars as you won’t want to miss these upcoming events:
March 17: St. Patrick’s Day theme
June 23: Stems Hunger food drive/Fourth of July
Aug. 25: Fall
Nov. 10: Bouquets for Books/Holidays for Heroes
Kids club events are open to children ages 5 to 12. To get the most out of the kids club, it’s best to register for it here or by stopping by any of our stores.
You’ll receive a membership card and Buds, our quarterly email kids club newsletter, which will tell you about opportunities to win prizes and support our charitable events.
We look forward to seeing you soon at another fun, free kids club event!
You’re going to love the kids club’s free Valentine’s Day-themed event Jan. 20
The 2018 Royer’s Kids Club season kicks off Jan. 20 with a sweetheart of an offer: a free Valentine’s Day-themed event.
Children ages 5 to 12 will have an opportunity to make a special arrangement in a heart teacup and will receive a balloon.
Time slots are available at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Registration is required by calling your nearest store.
Thank you for donating hundreds of cards and coloring pages to ‘Holidays for Heroes’
Thanks to your generosity, Royer’s has collected hundreds of holiday cards and coloring pages for the American Red Cross’ “Holidays for Heroes” program.
We presented three bags full of the items, which will be distributed to active military and veterans at military installations, VFWs, American Legions, the Lebanon VA and retirement homes in 22 counties in central Pennsylvania.
Royer’s invited customers to drop off the items at any of our stores from Nov. 11-Dec. 4.
The Red Cross (redcross.org/centralpa) prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. Last year in central Pennsylvania, the Red Cross assisted more than 2,100 people affected by nearly 750 local disasters.
Royer’s annual book drive collects nearly 1,200 new children’s titles for public libraries
Royer’s annual book drive collected 1,162 new children’s titles for public libraries in the seven counties where the company operates.
Bouquets for Books, which ran Oct. 28-Nov. 11, has yielded nearly 18,000 books in its 12-year history.
Anyone who donated a new children’s book was eligible to receive a free bouquet. Here are the libraries and the number of books presented to them this year:
- Berks County Public Libraries: 142
- Cumberland County Library System: 152
- Dauphin County Library System: 92
- Hershey Public Library (independent): 89
- Middletown Public Library (independent): 20
- Franklin County Library System: 49
- Lebanon County Libraries: 125
- Library System of Lancaster County: 227
- York County Library System: 266
Royer’s employees donate $520 to Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition
It may be the season of red and green, but pink also holds a prominent place at Royer’s Flowers & Gifts.
Royer’s employees this fall raised $520 for the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition with their purchases of pink polo shirts. For each Royer’s-logoed shirt they bought, the employees contributed $10 to the nonprofit coalition.
Royer’s employees undertook a similar fundraiser in fall 2016, collecting $1,510 for the coalition for the two years combined. Meanwhile, since 2015 Royer’s has raised another $7,730 for the coalition through the year-round sale of its “Power of Pink” arrangement.
“We sincerely appreciate the steadfast support that Royer’s and its employees have shown to our organization,” said Kristen Snoke, the coalition’s community outreach director. “We will continue to put their donations to good use on behalf of breast cancer survivors.”
The Lebanon-based coalition (pabreastcancer.org) represents, supports and serves breast cancer survivors and their families in Pennsylvania through educational programming, legislative advocacy and breast cancer research grants.
10 area high schools benefit from Royer’s homecoming fundraiser
Homecoming was an easy win for 10 area high schools that participated in Royer’s fundraiser.
By signing up, the schools’ homecoming committees earned a 10 percent commission on their portions of online corsage and boutonniere sales that totaled $4,538.52.
The participating high schools: Cedar Cliff, Cedar Crest, Central Dauphin, Central York, Christian School of York, Ephrata, Hershey, Manheim Township, Northern, Warwick.
The schools may use the reimbursed funds at their discretion.
Royer’s plans to offer similar fundraisers next year for homecoming and prom, again open to all high schools in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon or York counties.
For more information, contact Jaime Kevles, Royer’s marketing coordinator, at jaime.kevles@royers.com.
Royer’s collecting cards and coloring pages Nov. 11-Dec. 4 for Red Cross’ ‘Holidays for Heroes’
Royer’s Flowers will collect cards and coloring pages for active military and veterans in each of its stores Nov. 11-Dec. 4 as part of the American Red Cross’ “Holidays for Heroes” program.
Collected cards and coloring pages will be handed over to the Red Cross, whose volunteers will organize them for delivery. Destinations include military installations, VFWs, American Legions, the Lebanon VA and retirement homes in 22 counties in central Pennsylvania.
Cards may be dropped off at any Royer’s during normal business hours. Coloring pages are available at the stores or can be downloaded here:
Christmas Tree
Santa
Ornament
Reindeer
Dreidel
The Red Cross offers these guidelines for preparing cards:
- Use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member” as cards addressed to specific individuals cannot be delivered through this program.
- Include messages of support and thanks.
- Sign your name to them.
- Don’t include letters or other personal information (photos, addresses).
- Refrain from choosing cards with glitter.
The American Red Cross (redcross.org/centralpa) prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. Last year in central Pennsylvania, the Red Cross assisted more than 2,100 people affected by nearly 750 local disasters.
We’re offering a holiday wreath-decorating class Nov. 16 and 18 in seven stores
Do-it-yourself is a whole lot easier when you start with some knowhow.
If attempts at wreath decorating have had you going in circles, or if you haven’t tried for lack of confidence or opportunity, then Royer’s is here to help.
Royer’s is hosting a holiday wreath-decorating class in seven stores Nov. 16 and 18.
Participants will learn how to make bows, set a festive table, and care for poinsettias. Of course, Royer’s staff will be available to answer questions about holiday decorating.
The cost for the 90-minute class is $50 per person and includes a fresh wreath, bows and decorations.
Participants will receive a 15 percent discount on any in-store Christmas purchase that evening.
Each class is limited to 10 people, so reserve a spot by calling your nearest store:
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16
- Lebanon, 810 S. 12th St.; 717-273-2683
- Wernersville, 366 E. Penn Ave.; 610-678-7370
- Lancaster West, 201 Rohrerstown Road; 717-397-0376
- West York, 805 Loucks Road; 717-854-7733
5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18
- Chambersburg, 7 St. Paul Drive; 717-263-1313
- Camp Hill, 3015 Gettysburg Road; 717-730-4090
- Carlisle, 100 York Road; 717-241-6100
A Guy’s Guide to Flower Buying
There’s a gender gap when it comes to buying flowers: Women buy 65 percent of fresh flowers, according to the Society of American Florists, while men buy 35 percent.
To the extent that men might be intimidated or uncomfortable buying flowers, we’d like to make the experience a more enjoyable one for them.
To do this, we tapped the expertise of Cheryl Brill, Royer’s vice president of retail operations. Cheryl shared these insights based her more than 20 years of experience in the flower business.
Roses are red – and lots of other colors
Too often, men think only of roses for their significant others, and then only in red. Cheryl encourages male customers to be more adventurous, whether it’s with other colors of roses, other flower varieties, or other looks such as a textured garden appearance.
Don’t stop at Valentine’s Day
Maybe the tendency to focus on red roses has a lot to do with Valentine’s Day which, let’s face it, is ruled by red roses. But the year has only just begun when Valentine’s Day rolls around, so why not mix it up for the 364 days that don’t fall on Feb. 14?
What’s more, 63 percent of flower purchases are for the buyer, compared with 37 percent as gifts. And 86 percent of purchases are for non-calendar occasions, 50 percent of which fall into the “no special occasion” category. The bottom line is that people like to receive flowers any day of the year.
Bouquets don’t have to break the bank
Flower prices tend to rise around Valentine’s Day, in concert with a spike in demand for what is the floral industry’s equivalent of football’s Super Bowl. If that’s the only time of year that you purchase flowers, you can get a warped sense of how much they cost on a day-to-day basis.
Cheryl described how a $7.99 rose bunch made a positive impression on one male customer, who realized that he could afford to be a more frequent flower buyer.
Get the right vase
If she likes to arrange flowers, Cheryl said, then get her a vase that lends itself to arranging and one that fits the décor of the room where it will be used. Does she tend to put flowers on the kitchen counter or on the coffee table?
You don’t have to DIY
In this age of do-it-yourself, there’s a tendency to think that we must go it alone with everything. Rest assured, your trained florist is eager to help. It starts with the right container; she noted that it doesn’t have to be a plain, clear vase. Either bring one in, or your florist can help you select one.
Think about what you want to say
Before you visit or call your florist, Cheryl advised, think about the words you want to send along with the flowers. She said florists are a bit like bartenders: they’ve seen and heard everything, so don’t be embarrassed. Speak from the heart because the sentiment is just as important as the flowers that it goes with.
Valentine’s Day is an oasis amid the darkness of winter, Cheryl said, but it’s nice to see male customers the rest of the year, too.
Back in Bogota for the big Proflora trade show
The last time we joined Geoff Royer in South America, it was in the run-up to Valentine’s Day. Geoff, area manager, and his uncle Tom Royer, senior vice president and chief operating officer, were checking on the quality of roses being grown just for Royer’s customers for the holiday.
Early October found Geoff and Tom back in South America, half of their time spent at farms and the rest at the big Proflora floral trade show in Bogota, Colombia.
Unlike most florists, Royer’s acts as its own wholesaler, distributing fresh flowers to its 16 stores in seven counties. Dealing directly with growers gives Royer’s more control over costs and quality but warrants a continual presence in South America.
“It’s important to us to look at the farms because that is where we can see if problems are starting to develop,” Geoff said. “It’s also the last place our flowers are before they are boxed up and sent to the U.S.”
Meanwhile, that same desire to stay ahead of events is why Geoff and Tom attended Proflora. As a preview of what’s coming, the show allows Royer’s to be on the forefront of procuring the best products for its customers.
It is held every two years so that floral buyers and growers alike can see what’s new and what’s coming in the floral industry. The show exhibitors range from flower food makers and logistics companies to, of course, breeders and growers.
“It is start to finish what a wholesaler needs to complete their job,” Geoff said.
Specific goals
It’s typical for Royer’s to approach the show with specific goals in mind. This year, the focus was on finding additional growers to meet Royer’s needs for poms and limonium.
Specifically, Geoff said, poms (as is true for other types of flowers) used in arrangements should have long laterals, which is the distance from a flower to its main stem. The longer, the better, in terms of appearance in an arrangement.
“We have a pom grower now that does very well with this, but we are continually looking for who else is growing what we are looking for,” Geoff said.
“With the limonium (also known as caspia), we use a specific variety and are searching for another grower of it. It helps us at holidays to ensure we can get the supply that we need.”
Among the other Proflora highlights:
- In the show’s variety competition, one of Royer’s carnation growers, Geoflora, and its breeder, S.B. Talee, won two awards for carnations and one for ranunculus.
- Geoff and Tom saw new spray rose varieties. Spray roses typically used to be smaller, Geoff said, with a lower petal count. They didn’t last as long and tended to open very quickly. The new varieties not only have higher petal counts but are much larger. Royer’s potentially can use them in corsage and wedding work or even in vases.
- Geoff and Tom also saw several new varieties of red roses. Currently, Royer’s most-used variety is called Freedom. It has a high petal count, and when it opens is just beautiful. Everyone is looking for the next Freedom, Geoff said.
- Garden roses also are becoming more popular, mostly for weddings and event work. Alexandra Farms, a group Royer’s is just starting to work with, grows multiple varieties of garden roses. These include David Austin varieties, named for the renowned English breeder whose roses are regaled for their beauty and scent.
“The most exciting things about the garden roses is the smell,” Geoff said. “In many cases the scent of flowers has been bred out of them. Scent and vase life are typically linked. Garden roses still have the scents and they are typically larger bloom sizes.”
Geoff and Tom will head back to South America early in the new year, ahead of Valentine’s Day, as the cycle repeats itself.