Michigan garden center seeing higher sales

When wallets grow thin, consumers become resourceful, MLive.com reported. They spend more time in their homes and entertain in their backyards. Some fertilize their own lawns and raise homegrown produce to cut expenses; others spruce up the places they spend so much more time in — and those trends have sent sales through the roof at Wedel’s Nursery, Florist and Garden Center in Texas Township.

“We’ve run out of seeds twice already,” said Andy Wedel, 46, who co-owns the store with several relatives. “Sustainability is huge right now—we’ve seen a dramatic increase in sales of seeds, vegetable plants and fruit trees. Houseplants are up tremendously, too.”

Outdoor kitchens, fire pits, yard art and patio furniture are sizzling hot products at Wedel’s, as well supplies for as do-it-yourself projects.

“We’ve seen so much growth over the past two or three years,” Wedel said. “Outdoor furniture is up at least 25 percent and a lot of people are putting in ponds and coming to workshops to learn new projects. I’m very optimistic about business for this year.”

The family-owned operation is celebrating its 15th anniversary at its Texas Drive location, a 60,000-square-foot facility stocking hundreds of products lines.