Lansing — It’s a cool 60 degrees in the building — a temperature meant for keeping flower petals in perfect form. Ruth Leyrer intended for the store to be a treat for the senses. Upon entering Bancroft Flowers R.L. Designs, 1417 E. Michigan Ave., in Lansing, it’s the hint of fresh floral smell that hits first. Then it’s the color — the deep greens of potted plants, the vibrant yellows and oranges of gerber daisies in the fresh flower case, as well as the passionate reds of roses and a Valentine’s Day display.
Back in the workroom, her daughter Rachel, a floral designer at the shop, is perched on a wooden stool snipping the ends off loose flowers, artfully arranging the purples, blues and whites in a glass vase. In the corner of the room, Leyrer’s mother works on addressing Valentine’s Day cards to her grandchildren.
This is exactly what Leyrer wanted to work with every day. It’s about the flowers, the fragrance and the people.
Blossoming career
After starting in the flower business in 1969 at age 16, Leyrer has worked her way up the ladder from dusting at another Lansing flower business on the eastside. While there, she cleaned roses and managed that shop.
“I was born, grew up in and raised in Lansing’s eastside,” she said. “I worked for that flower shop on and off, in between getting married and having three kids. My husband was in the military so we traveled on and off in the ’70s. Every time we came home, I worked at the same place.”
After being let go from that shop about 10 years ago, Leyrer said she got out of the flower business because she was sick of it.
But she didn’t stay away for long. For nearly six years, Leyrer has owned Bancroft Flowers R.L. Designs.
“I kept having people call me and I would say, ‘OK, I’ll do your wedding out of my home,’ so I was a Basement Betty for a little while. You know, that’s what they call them in the flower business,” she said. “I thought I still loved it, so six years ago I bought the flower shop. I worked a bit with the prior owners during the holidays so that’s where opportunity came up.”
The Bancroft family first opened the shop in 1929 and sold it to Joe and Gina Ferraro after about 30 years.
For the past six years, the shop is where Leyrer is able to take her love for nature and the outdoors, and do her best to bring it inside.
Bancroft Flowers offers fresh flower arrangements, plants and terrariums, as well as a selection of chocolates, candles and other gifts. Leyrer said the shop also do some limited outside lawn maintenance and tend to customer’s indoor plants.
“I appreciate the beauty of nature,” she said. “It’s work, but it’s fun work.”
Her love of the outdoors and strong sense of family also can be seen in other ways — like the rescued snapping turtle, Stoney, who has a home in the workroom, alongside a tank of goldfish.
Family ties
Rachel Leyrer said she started working at the shop about three weeks after her mother bought it.
“It’s been nice, and fun,” she said. “The best thing about my job, aside from working with beautiful flowers every day, is knowing that you’re going to make people happy. Flowers are a luxury, and if you work with the customers a little more, let them pick out the flowers they like, it really makes it easier.”
Rachel Leyrer said she’s seen the business increase over the years, with many of the original customers coming into the shop because they knew her mother, or her mother’s work.
“It’s made us a lot closer,” she said of working with her family. “My kids are really close with my mom and dad. We’ve always been close, I guess. This is just icing on the cake, I suppose.”
The rest of the family is involved in the business in their own way as well. During the peak winter season, Leyrer said her son takes charge of the deliveries, and her husband helps out.
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Sometimes her grandchildren even spend time at the shop and design their own arrangements.
Lasting expressions
Rachel Leyrer, who has studied interior design, said she’s typically inspired by the colors of flowers when she’s designing an arrangement, whereas her mother tends to be inspired by the shape of the flowers. To make one of her creations, she said it takes about five to 15 minutes.
“If people are looking to give something different than just roses, sometimes we recommend putting lilies with roses,” she said. “Most women have received roses before, so it’s not always something different.”
Bancroft Flowers typically sees three times as much business during Valentine’s Day as normal.
Leyrer said one of her favorite parts about flowers is the act of giving them to someone.
“Flowers are an expression of love, no matter if it’s happy or sad, but even when you give flowers when you’re sad you’re still expressing your love,” Leyrer said.
“Flowers are the ultimate expression, really … I just like to make people happy, and hopefully in return, I get happy, too.”
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