Since moving to The Evergreens retirement community in Moorestown, township resident Sam Moyer has continued his work of making custom brooms he sells at local fairs.
“He does more than just the regular standard broom,” said Moyer’s wife of more than 60 years, Audra. “He makes whisk brooms; he makes children’s brooms. The events that we’ve done, meeting the people, are just really treasures.”
According to the site for Living History Farms, brooms are made from broom corn, a type of sorghum plant that is different from edible corn and has swishy tassels at its top.
Moyer has been making inside- and outside-use brooms for more than 40 years and sells them at local fairs, including the Burlington County Farmers Market. They are done in five stages, including making the handles, growing and assembling the sorghum, and cutting and shaping the wood on a broom winder.
Emerson does all of that in The Evergreens’ wood shop.
“I was interested in the genetics of the color of the plant,” Moyer recalled of his start making the brooms. He noted how his customers don’t hesitate to show their appreciation for his work.
“They like the beauty, including the handles,” he noted. “They like that it’s handmade, they know that they saw the person who made it … They (the brooms) last a long time and I sign and date each one like a work of art, so they know what year they bought it.
“We’re in the happiness business, because people are happy with what I do, (and) that makes me happy.”
Moyer’s work means more to him than just doing what he loves; it also keeps him active.
“The broom business has kept me happy and healthy, more than I would be if I was doing nothing,” he explained. “This is better than going to the gym.”
“There are a lot of stories that we would hear when people would come to the events that we did,” Audra recounted. “We have people coming back that bought it (a broom) for their children, even grown children, because they liked their broom so much that they wanted their kids to have one too.”
Moyer advises people to never set a broom on its bristles and has a message for anyone who’s purchased his work.
“Treasure your broom,” he said. “It’s handmade, it was made with love. Take care of it, and it will take care of you.”
