Cha-ching! (5-19)

Garden centers looking for ways to attract Gen X shoppers might want to borrow a page from the Briggs Garden & Home book. Actually, they might want to borrow several.

For starters, the center located in North Attleboro, Mass., does a blog, which is part of the standard reading regimen of many 30-somethings these days. The fare there includes everything from plant talk to recipes that are used in the Briggs Cafe.

Speaking of which, the cafe is a "free Wi-Fi hotspot," meaning customers can turn a trip to the garden center into a chance to buy plants and "way cool" garden accessories, to grab a healthy gourmet meal (we hear the Chicken Cordon Bleu is to die for), AND to catch up on some Internet browsing while they relax with the kids in the comfortable dining room. Then they can take the kids outside to the shaded playground for some fun recreation.

The collection of attractions -- the blog, the restaurant, the Wi-Fi, the playground -- is a Gen X magnet, not to mention one great way to add some "Cha-ching!" 

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