CONTESSA’s GARDEN OPENS
In May, over Mothers Day weekend we opened our garden. Balloons, music, local talent musicians volunteered time and our customers who had only been frequenting us for a month really showed up in great style. It was the encouragement we needed. It was a very successful weekend. Our customers frequented the shop and they browsed the garden. Some of the browsers purchased. Our wrought iron settes were a real draw and they were fairly expensive, but we did sell two in the $450 range. Gardening decor and signage was a big draw and appointments were made to drop off containers for us to create window boxes and planters. We had a fair number of houseplants inside the store which were available for purchase as well. Lots and lots of questions about our potted Hydrangeas, and the planters that had perennials in them received a fair number of questions about care and variety. We did a ton of education about planting that weekend. Free info was over flowing and wow did they want it. I think I talked for hours and hours. And as a result of the great interest in when, and how to plant, weekly Saturday morning seminars were created and scheduled for us to share our knowledge on Potting 101, Orchid planting and care, soils/fertilizer, and potted herbs. Watering plants was a huge inquiry. Seasonally watering plants can be tricky once heat goes on in the house. Folks brought questions with them to the seminars and we completed demos for them. Lots and lots of eco-friendly planters were sold. Folks brought their sick plants, for tips on how to help them recover and some brought plants that had outgrown their planters and needed re-potting. I had many inquiries to help folks select plants and pot them….for them. We also scheduled nursery buying trips outside of our shop hours. Giving buying confidence was helpful because now they knew they had a source they could rely on for plant help and care.
It became crystal clear that Delray wanted plants and plant info. We were in somewhat of a quandary. Three blocks from our store was a privately owned garden store. Very small and headquartered in a house, with a gated fairly good sized area, somewhat like a plant nursery, but on a way smaller scale. The proprietor was a woman owned business just like me. We began referring our customers to her site for purchasing plants. We wanted to make sure a fair distribution of sales and customers fed both stores. We would still plant for our folks and special orders for larger quantities of plants were what we intended to procure. After sending folks with inquiries up to her location, we found quickly that they were coming back to us because the quality of the plants we sold were superior. And my style of selection and planting was very different. There came a point in time when fellow merchants in our town, who also loved plants, told me that I should run my business as if I was the best plant store in town. I didn’t have to change the way I was doing things because my clientele was clearly not going to go three blocks up the street, only to turn around and come right back to purchase from me. My quantity was small but my selection was exceptional. And frankly using plants inside the store to enhance my gift shop, only made the shop merchandise more appealing. I claimed my own section of the plant economy in Delray finally, and everybody was happy including the owner of the little garden center. Later on, in my tenure, she closed her business and her customers who had frequented her for a long time, gradually came over to sponsor and purchase at my shop and garden.
In business in a small town, stores and merchants share a protocol to support and encourage business to each other. And we all shopped local so it circulated the dollars right in our small town. It’s wise and it creates a merchant to merchant loyalty that fosters a good will mentality, which in turn shows customers that we as merchants, value our own clientele and community. It’s a super win for everyone.
My only personal hurdle was trying to convince merchants that when you post store hours, closing early and at odd times affects everyone’s bottom line. The integrity of each merchant to be open, when they say they are going to be open, is of great importance. Otherwise business drops off for everyone. A small town operating consistency, is how everyone does well. During the entire tenure of my store, I pressed for this business model and pretty much influenced others to follow suit. My motto at the time was that if the hardware store was open…. I was open. That hardware store was the busiest store in the whole town. Enough said.
As my garden grew, my gift shop business grew. The front door to my store was open from May 1st through Nov 15 consistently, and we were rolling. It was one of the most rewarding times in my life. The dream had become a reality and my profits allowed me to expand. It got even better each year. The only hurdle I encountered was being a small enterprise, you must work seven days a week. Even when the shop is closed, there is always something to do to get ready for the next day. I must say, I had not contemplated this when I began my shop adventure. My stamina grew as my shop grew. But…it was not always easy. Still, my Lord and Savior had heard my prayer and gave me the vision and the energy to fulfill my calling. I could only thank him with my gratitude and my promise to keep on keeping on. I became a faithful servant in my private and my professional life. My Lord led my way. I obeyed and followed him and his plan for my life. Blessings came from everywhere.