Cha-ching! (2-10)

Like most garden centers that pride themselves on sustainability, Logan’s in Raleigh, N.C., offers a rich selection of organic gardening products.

 “We have the biggest selection in central North Carolina that I know of,” says Joshua Logan, the garden center's general manager. “Our staff committed to it long before it was in vogue. The community has just come to the point in the last five years where they’ll really listen [to organic messages].”

Consequently, the store’s ratio of organic and conventional garden offerings has shifted. Logan’s now devotes space both to organics and to conventional products, with the majority going to the former. “We have folks who are really committed to organics and folks who have used conventional their entire life,” Joshua said. “We value both customers. Then there’s a huge group in the middle who don’t know, or they’re open. They’re the largest section of our customers.”

Consumers who are undecided about which gardening methods to use can learn a lot from Logan’s display gardens. The raised beds are made from repurposed materials—namely cinder blocks that were used to build up old plant benches. Joshua said it is a great way to show customers how they can get into gardening without spending a lot of money.

It is also an excellent demonstration of organic gardening methods. The beds are filled with an organic soil mix and a little greensand. No other remedies or inputs are required. "[The displays give] customers confidence to see a garden that didn’t have to be 'babied along,'” Joshua said. "And they do a lot for 'demystifying the process.'”

Ultimately, the sum of those parts becomes a dividend for Logan's, as well. Can you say, "Cha-ching!"?

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