The Grass Guru's Story

Gary Garner

In the early sixties, having just received a BS in Business I was working as an internal auditor at the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond, Virginia.  My wife, Daisy Jane, taught elementary school.  Having grown up on a flu-cured tobacco farm I found working inside all day too confining for my taste.  Try sitting at a table, so full of money that you can't see over the pile and counting all day for 8 to 10 days in a row.

So, I decided that the Federal Reserve Bank was not for me.  The bank and the people were wonderful but that job was not the job for me.  I decided to take a job selling agricultural chemicals.  That was where I stayed for the next eleven years.  Due to internal problems within the company, I decided it was now time for another change.  Believe it or not I was not fired or let go.  It just seemed a change was in order.

I liked agriculture so I bought, not one but two, farm supply businesses including facilities to manufacture my own fertilizer.  Don't let that overly impress you.  This took place in the mid-seventies and that was ot the time to be in the farm supply business.  Even the large companies were struggling and many fell by the wayside.  A small entrepreneur, like myself, didn't stand a chance.  By the late seventies I had two choices, either sell the business or be put out of business.  I decided to sell.  That may be one of the few smart things I ever did.

Being at loose ends I began to look around for a business that I might get started with a relatively low investment and still make a living.  The lawn maintenance business was just beginning to come into its own so my son, Nelson, and I decided that might be the business for us.  With two old used trucks and two used mowers we entered the grass cutting business.  Today we call it Grounds Maintenance.  Doesn't that sound nice!

People were just beginning to find out they could afford to have someone else take care of their yard and free up more time for themselves and so the business grew very rapidly.  Later we started to do some landscaping and seeding lawns.  Unfortunately due to the labor supply and time constraints we had to discontinue landscaping and lawn installation.

Having always been interested in the retail business, about thirteen years ago, we decided to explore the retail garden center business.  Our first experience was with Christmas trees.  These did very well, so the following year we bought a truck load of shrubbery and gave that a try.  It sold out quickly so we continued to add additional lines of plants. We soon outgrew the space we had so we purchased two and a half acres and built our first greenhouse.  The community has been good to us.  We have since added five additional greenhouses and built a two story barn with retail space on the ground floor and offices upstairs.

My son, Nelson, has always been an important part of the business.  As we begin to place more emphasis on the retail business, I managed that and he assumed management of the maintenance business.  Gradually, the retail business has grown until today it requires both of our full attention.  We have gradually let the maintenance business reduce in size.  We have not taken any new maintenance customers in several years. 

Nelson has now assumed management of the day to day retail operations.  He makes all the decisions on buying and daily management.  I handle marketing and advertising and answer lots of questions.  But age tells me it's time for Nelson to manage the business and for me to gradually fade away.

Now we have a third generation beginning to show interest in the business.  You will see Gary III in some of the TV programs and advertisements.  Look around when you are in the store and you may notice him around the yard.  He works some and plays a lot.

We have always tried to look at the business from the customers view.  As we have grown the business becomes more complicated--but we make it a point to keep the garden center feeling friendly and having old time simplicity.  The staff is encouraged to serve each customer individually.  We have a staff of very courteous employees who are well trained in planting and care of plant material.  They are always willing and available to help.

We encourage people to spend time looking.  We are happy to see people stop in and walk around and enjoy the plants and the atmosphere.  We believe if they don't buy the first time, they will most likely be back.