Garden Center magazine hit the road and headed down south to North Carolina this week to tour independent garden centers retailers big and small in the area to discover the latest trends in the industry and find out how the season is going. Associate editor Michelle Simakis is driving to different towns in the western part of the state (and one in South Carolina) to meet with retailers and talk to them about their business. Here’s her recap of the second day of her visit:
Barney Bryant, owner of B.B. Barns, The Garden Company in Arden, N.C., says he modeled his store after seeing other “destination” garden centers he toured during his visit to England in 1996. Though he knows it can’t work for all independent garden center retailers, what has worked for him is taking advantage of the store’s proximity to Asheville, N.C., a popular tourist destination.
People visiting town stop by because of the store’s beauty, he says. Some buy green goods, but others venture into his ever-growing gift section, a category they just added recently but has exploded, as it caters to travelers. And he is planning to do more to encourage tourists to visit his store. We’ll have more on this soon.
My next stop was to A Growing Concern in Hendersonville, N.C., which was an absolute adventure. The store’s owner, Chuck Carter, doesn’t like to crowd plants. So he uses every bit of his 1.5-acre land to display the annuals, perennials, fruiting trees, ornamentals and more.
Staff member Duke Domingue says he prides himself on finding plants that no one else in the area carries. He scourers other IGCs to make sure they have varieties that set them apart from other retailers. And he’s got a good eye for what sells well – he bought 12 flats of Ogon Nishiki jasmine and after carrying it for less than a week, they are down to two flats.
Look for highlights from today’s visit, which include stops to Reems Creek Nursery in Weaverville, N.C. and Pike Nurseries in Charlotte, N.C. And follow our updates on Facebook.
Highlights from day 1
Photo: A Growing Concern in Hendersonville, N.C.