Calyx spins off Flowers in a Hatbox title Jan 1, 2008 12:00 PM
, By Monica Kitchen
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Calyx Flowers is thinking inside the box for its new spin-off title, Flowers In A Hatbox. The 24-page catalog sells fresh flowers arranged in contemporary vases and delivered in keepsake silk and satin hatboxes.
Calyx Flowers mailed between 200,000 and 300,000 copies of the new book in December to a combination of house file and co-op database names. The company started testing the concept during the 2006 holiday season with a few spreads in its core fresh-flowers catalog and continued the test for Mother's Day.
“Based on a year's worth of results, we thought it was strong enough to stand alone,” says Ryan Jennings, catalog manager for Calyx Flowers.
Like Calyx's other floral gifts, the flowers for the hatbox arrangements ship directly from growers, which eliminates the middleman florist and improves freshness. To ensure stability during transit, the bouquets are held in place by a “flower girl,” a cardboard insert that holds the blooms in place and keeps them protected during transport.
Bouquets typically range in price from $69.95 to $152.95, which is a bit higher than the price of a standard Calyx floral arrangement. Calyx will continue to showcase the Flowers In A Hatbox line in its core 48-page catalog, which also sells Gifts in a Hatbox. The average order for the catalog was expected to be $120 for December.
Calyx Flowers, which has been owned by the Shelburne, VT-based Vermont Teddy Bear Co. since 2003, in February changed its name from Calyx & Corolla. The Flowers in a Hatbox catalog, Jennings says, “is just a way, aside from anything else, that makes our flowers a little bit different from anything else out there.”
