Day 2 was a study in contrasts. Attendees got to see several small, boutique-style garden centers and some of the biggest retail establishments in the Minneapolis area.
Our first stop was Lilydale Garden Center, a charming place situated on 2 acres. This family-owned business will soon welcome its fourth-generation staff member. The entire clan is excited about the future of their enterprise.
Lilydale has a beautiful, well-merchandised gift area and a thoughtfully laid out plant yard. One thing this store excels at is incorporating statuary in its plant displays.
The next stop was another small garden center, Highland Nursery, which sits on 1.25 acres and is near a neighborhood filled with doctors’ homes.
One visiting retailer described Highland Nursery as “visually explosive.” Color blocking used in the gift shop had a tremendous impact. For me, the best part about Highland Nursery was you never knew what was around the next curve. You could find a towering evergreen, a fully decked-out arbor, or this charming fellow tucked among the plants.
Tangletown Gardens defines small, boutique garden center. This store occupies 13,000 square feet and bills itself as “the ultimate urban garden center experience.”
One thing a lot of the visiting retailers commented on was the abundance of plants displayed outside the store’s fence. Owners Scott Endres and Dean Engelmann said theft isn’t a problem. They’ve befriended firefighters stationed across the street, who keep an eye on things when the store is closed.
We were treated to one more small garden center: Uncommon Gardens, a store that opened just after 9-11, and is still going strong.
I’d say that Tonkadale Greenhouse was the happy medium of the day’s stops, covering 50,000 square feet. Visiting retailers praised this store’s high-quality plant material, most of which is grown in the company’s off-site range.
A detailed fairy garden display also caught a lot of eyes. Tonkadale Greenhouse conducts seminars to help people get started in this hobby.
In stark contrast to these stores were the retail behemoths we visited: Gerten’s and Bachman’s Lyndale location.
Gerten’s is H-U-G-E, covering 15 acres. Here’s a photo to give you some idea of this store’s sprawling layout:
Gerten’s just kicked off its Do-It-Yourself Landscape Expo, a series of seminars and specials, encouraging homeowners to enhance outdoor spaces.
Bachman’s flagship store on Lyndale was the final stop of the day. It’s a 22-acre facility, with a 230,000-square-foot retail area.
Bachman’s gift and home accents department is a visual merchandising wonderland. Scattered throughout the area are idea cards, letting customers know how they can achieve a look for themselves.
Check back tomorrow for details on the final day of this exciting tour.
-- Sarah
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