You'll rarely see Thomas Birt without his cowboy hat. Whether he's doing chores in the back of his nursery or attending a national gift trade show, the hat is usually square on his head.
Birt also has a strong work ethic reminiscent of an Old West cowhand. Ten years ago his production nursery, Mesquite Valley Growers Nursery in
Tucson,
Ariz., began retailing and, through hard work, the store has blossomed.
By hiring a talented support staff, borrowing ideas from other stores around the country and, of course, offering top-notch plants, Birt has created a rising star out of his Southwestern garden center.
"I worked for 20 years for another grower/retailer and when I started my own business I didn't want to be in retail. I thought just growing and selling wholesale would be the greatest thing," Birt said. "But a recession hit
Tucson in 1988 and 1989 and it made wholesale difficult. Landscapers weren't getting paid and that means they became credit problems for me.
"I finally thought, 'This is silly. I'm selling plants wholesale that are nicer than anybody else in town is selling retail.' Why not do it?"
Good timing
Birt leased additional property with a small shop adjacent to his growing facility in 1990. One of his early concerns was competing with existing garden centers in
Tucson.
As it turned out, a chain of four stores in the area had a death in the family and the stores closed. A few other garden centers succumbed to the recession and went bankrupt. Shortly thereafter the economy began to turn around and things were suddenly in Birt's favor.
The store started out with just the 1,500-square-foot brick retail shop next to a large mesquite tree and "a bunch of desert dirt," Birt said. As money became available, the store was gradually enhanced. Not once has he borrowed money for capital improvements.
The nursery now features open-air retail greenhouses, brick walkways and display gardens filled with plants adaptive to the arid climate. The store is given a consistent look with many steel elements, from benches to fences to ornate signposts, all painted Caribbean green.
Birt's current project is revamping the outdoor checkout area, which now consists of two outdoor registers and one indoor register. He's in the process of adding another outdoor register and spacing them out under the retail greenhouses adjacent to the parking lot. He will then add conveyors that customers can use for smaller items.
"Companies like Costco have trained people to do this themselves. It's handy for us and it also gives the customers something to do. People may be three back in line but in their minds they're next because they've already loaded their things onto the conveyor. They're not just standing there," Birt said. "I think it will work well except for the larger items like trees and shrubs that will still have to be scanned while they're in the cart."
Key hire
A big day in the history of Mesquite Valley Growers Nursery was in 1991 when Birt hired Cathy Bishop as sales manager. In addition to a wealth of plant knowledge, she brings a woman's touch to the garden center.
"She has that woman's perspective that is so important. Without her we wouldn't be half what we are today," Birt said. "She has a real sense for the female shopper. I can make structures happen, but she gives the nursery emotions. She makes it a more fun place to shop."
Birt brings Bishop with him when he travels to such industry events as the TAN-MISSLARK (now Nursery/Landscape Expo) trade show in
Dallas and
Houston, FarWest Show in
Portland,
Ore., Western Nursery & Garden Expo in
Las Vegas, AmericasMart gift show in
Atlanta and the Dallas National Gift & Decorative Accessories Show.
The pair make a formidable team, each with their own areas of expertise. While at shows and retailers' establishments across the country, each looks for different things.
"I take pictures of any good ideas I see. I have albums and albums of things I've seen. If somebody has a solution to a common garden center problem, I probably have a photo of it -- even if it's an idea as simple as how to pull a hose around a corner or how to tack a trellis to a wall," Birt said.
"Cathy is a genius when it comes to plants and that's what she looks for. If she hears of a new variety or species she'll remember it. So we each see different things everywhere we go. We complement each other."
More "jewels"
Other employees are vital as well. Wendy Lee is in charge of the perennial area and she has done so well that it has become known among employees as "Wendy's World." She has a knack for display and keeping the area well stocked with plants that are in their peak of color.
"Our employees are dedicated. The best ones we have are the homebodies who have lived in
Tucson their whole lives. We've had some people who have worked at several nurseries in different areas and they seem to be flashes in the pan. It's the people from this area that are the most loyal. They're our jewels," Birt said.
Knowledge of
Tucson is especially important because it is a diverse ecological area. Changes in elevation and soil types can make gardening difficult. Plants may thrive in one neighborhood but not another because it has a different climate.
When customers ask what plants will do well, the best questions to ask is "In what part of town do you live?"
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Birt helps keep good employees by paying 100 percent of their health insurance costs, including dental, after they have been with the company for six months.
- Todd Davis