Bayard Flower Shops

Bayard NE News

Apr 7, 2017

Flowers: Accommodating transgender people at expense of others

That is how far we have come in this anything-goes society. The hypocrisy is astounding. LGBT activist Eliza Bayard in a Philadelphia Inquirer column suggested that the appropriate avenue would be to find an "accommodation" for the non-trans child. Imagine if we suggested the reverse. There would be screams of intolerance and discrimination, as there were when President Donald Trump did the right thing and repealed Barack Obama's transgender mandates in public schools. The point is that "accommodations" are exceptions, and the LGBT community does not want to be viewed as an exception to anything. It wants to be accepted as mainstream and deserving of all of the rights and privileges as the straight, cisgender, white, Christian, plug-in-your-oppressive-patriarchal-adjective-here. But when a member of the majority group, in this case a kid who just wants to put on his underwear without making a political statement, files a lawsuit to protect his own right to privacy, the story gets turned into one about intolerance. Sorry, but kids shouldn't be used as pieces on the societal chessboard so some of the more evolved players can checkmate the outmoded, conservative values of another time. I know some people think the most important thing in the world is to keep our children from being bullied. There is definitely value in providing a safe environment for them, and adults are the ones who need to do it. Lord of the Flies was not fiction, and I say that from experience. But that doesn't mean that we sign on to every questionable social crusade in the name of tolerance, at least not where children are concerned. As Pope Francis said in a quote that isn't nearly as popular as his "Who am I to judge" comment: "We are living a moment of annihilation of man as image of God ... Today, in schools they are teaching this to children — to children! — that everyone can choose their gender." Annihilation of man as image of God. Annihilation of the distinction between boy and girl. Annihilation of privacy. Annihilation, really, of childhood. Christine M. Flowers (cflowers1961@gmail.com) is a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News. ... (Daily Commercial)

Apr 7, 2017

Cherry Hill Flower Barn Moves to Pennsauken, Bayard's Adds Dunkin Donuts

After 35 years in the carriage house at the edge of the Bayard’s Chocolate House in Cherry Hill, florist Rick Cuneo is relocating to the Pennsauken Industrial Park, displaced by a Dunkin Donuts.By Matt Skoufalos April 4, 2017Rick Cuneo in his expanded retail location at Flower Barn Pennsauken. Credit: Matt Skoufalos.“I feel I’m breathing for the first time in a long time,” said Cherry Hill Flower Barn owner Rick Cuneo.It’s a curious sensation to be putting down roots after 35 years, but at the end of an uncertain six months, the resolution to his story is a welcome one, Cuneo said.When the florist learned in August that his landlord, Frank Glaser of Bayard’s Chocolate House, planned to bulldoze his shop in order to add a Dunkin Donuts to the other half of his lot, “you go to that dark place,” Cuneo confessed.“I’m losing my business, I’m not going to be able to pay my mortgage,” he remembered thinking. Rents along Route 70 were prohibitively expensive. Cuneo wondered how long he’d be able to extend his month-to-month lease.As it turned out,... (NJ Pen)

Feb 9, 2017

90-year-old florist marries 'em, buries 'em

Schmitt is ready to walk away. The property is for sale, and the business will close Jan. 30. The Flower Shop has been at the same location near Bayard Park for 140 years. That places its opening only 12 years after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The business was owned by Paul Schmitt’s parents, Edgar and Mary. Generations of loyal customers allowed The Flower Shop to thrive, despite being in a mostly residential area with little traffic. They are greeted by a spacious greenhouse, bursts of color, all sorts of seasonal décor, and, of course, those wonderful scents. “We have always had a wonderful reputation,” Schmitt said. “We did everything, a lot of the big stuff in town, and philanthropic things. We’ve had worlds of activities out here in our greenhouse. We’ve done weddings, we’ve done luaus, we’ve done rehearsal dinners. “We do it all. Everything that connects to flowers.” Perhaps no business owner in Evansville loves her clientele as much as Schmitt. For several years, she lived in the house next door to her shop and hosted a Christmas Eve party. It would start in the afternoon and last through the evening, with guests coming and going at their leisure. “They would look forward to coming for some Christmas cheer,” Schmitt said. “A lot of them now are lawyers. Some came with their parents. That party was notorious, let’s put it that way. People still say, ‘We miss that party.’ ” “This place has jumped,” Schmitt said, with a devilish smile. Evansville attorney Ted Ziemer Jr. rememb... (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)

Feb 9, 2017

After decades in business, flower shop owner is retiring

Schmitt is ready to walk away. The property is for sale, and the business will close Jan. 30. The Flower Shop has been at the same location near Bayard Park for 140 years. That places its opening only 12 years after Abraham Lincoln's assassination. The business was owned by Paul Schmitt's parents, Edgar and Mary. Generations of loyal customers allowed The Flower Shop to thrive, despite being in a mostly residential area with little traffic. They are greeted by a spacious greenhouse, bursts of color, all sorts of seasonal decor, and, of course, those wonderful scents. "We have always had a wonderful reputation," Schmitt said. "We did everything, a lot of the big stuff in town, and philanthropic things. We've had worlds of activities out here in our greenhouse. We've done weddings we've done luaus, we've done rehearsal dinners. "We do it all. Everything that connects to flowers." Perhaps no business owner in Evansville loves her clientele as much as Schmitt. For several years, she lived in the house next door to her shop and hosted a Christmas Eve party. It would start in the afternoon and last through the evening, with guests coming and going at their leisure. "They would look forward to coming for some Christmas cheer," Schmitt said. "A lot of them now are lawyers. Some came with their parents. That party was notorious, let's put it that way. People still say, 'We miss that party.'" "This place has jumped," Schmitt said, with a devilish smile. Evansville attorney Ted Ziemer Jr. remembers th... (messenger-inquirer)

Dec 8, 2016

Holiday events light up Delaware this weekend and beyond

Theatre, 441 Old Laurel Road, Georgetown. Also 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Music for a While: Carols for the University 12:30-1:30 p.m. Bayard Sharp Hall, University of Delaware, 23 S. Main St., Newark. Free. David Herman at the organ for a sing-along. Santa Crawl 8 p.m. Expect reindeer antlers and Santa hats to be the norm when bar crawlers hop on buses and make their way around to 14 bars and restaurants for the annual loop celebrating the season. Throw on your best bad holiday sweater or Santa hat for free admission to the loop; otherwise it’s a $5 cover charge. Participating venues are Anejo, Catherine Rooney’s, Chelsea Tavern, Dead Presidents, Ernest & Scott, FireStone, Gallucio’s Cafe, Grotto Pizza, Kelly’s Logan House, Lavish, Timothy’s Riverfront, Trolley Oyster House, Trolley Tap House and 8th & Union Kitchen. For more information, visit outandaboutnow.com/santa-crawl/. The Reminders 7 p.m. Crossroad Community Church, Georgetown. Holiday concert by the Americana-gospel trio. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” 8 p.m. Kent County Theatre Guild, 140 E. Roosevelt Ave., Dover. Free-$18. Also 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tree Lighting 6-9 p.m. Glasgow Regional Park, U.S. 40 and Del. 896, Newark. Music, refreshments, crafts, vendors and photos with Santa. Tree lighting at 7. “Welcome to Castlewood” 7-9 p.m. Cornerstone Church, 761 S. Little Creek Road, Dover. Free. Annual original Christmas musical. Also 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Saturday, Dec. 10 “A Christmas Carol” 8 p.m. Delaware City Library, 250 Fifth St., Delaware City. Reedy Point Players production. Also 2 p.m. Sunday. “A Christmas Carol” 8 p.m. Delaware Theatre Company, 200 Water St., Wilmington. Through Dec. 30. “A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol” 2 and 8 p.m. Arden Gild Hall, 2126 The Highway, Arden. Charles Dickens’ plot and Arthur Sullivan’s music, with words by Gayden Wren and W.S. Gilbert. Also 8 p.m. Dec. 16, 8 p.m. Dec. 17 and 2 p.m. Dec. 18. “A Little Princess” 8 p.m. Wilmington Drama League, 10 W. Lea Blvd., Wilmington. $12-$20. Also 8 p.m. Dec. 16, 22, 23 and 30 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, 18 and 28. Appoquinimink High SchoolCraft Fair 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Appoquinimink High School, 1080 Bunker Hill Road, Middletown. 175 local vendors with works of art and craftsmanship, food and clothing. Lunch from the school culinary arts department and a visit from Santa 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Breakfast with Santa 9 a.m.-noon St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, 1301 N. Broom St., Wilmington. $4-7, plus non-perishable food for food pantry. Crafts, games, shopping and photos with Santa. Breakfast with Santa 9-10 a.m. Brandywine Zoo, 1001 N. Park Drive, Wilmington. $12-$18. Registration required at www.brandywinezoo.org/special-events.html. Photos with Santa, making decorations and animal e... (The News Journal)

Sep 7, 2016

Will Dunkin' Donuts evict longtime Cherry Hill florist?

And when he called Frank Glaser, president of James Candy, his heart sank. If Dunkin' Donuts acquired the property, it would let the Bayard's store - a two-story clapboard house fronted by four tall columns that is a local landmark - continue operating with a 10-year lease. But Cuneo would have to go, he discovered. His whimsical, beloved barn was slated to be demolished to make way for a drive-through coffee shop. "I started this store right out of college," Cuneo, 57, said with a sigh and a wave of his hand that took in the refrigerated lilies and roses, plush cats, ceramic birdhouses, grinning scarecrows, wicker wreaths, fabric owls and other gift items that crowd his shop's interior. Set back from the busy state highway, the little white barn with the gambrel roof once served as a stable in the days when the nearby Garden State racetrack was thriving. James Bayard Kelly, who created the Bayard's chocolates line in 1939, evidently acquired the barn in the early 1980s and relocated it beside his Cherry Hill store. Except for one other tenant, said Cuneo, "I've been here ever since," leasing all the while on a month-to-month basis. The arrangement also helps to explain why he didn't get the notice of Monday's... (Philly.com)