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Nick Hudson, or his associate, is available for presentations, orally or verbally to the industry. Mr. Hudson, or his associate, is also available for consultations to garden centers, both onsite and offsite. If you have an interest in a presentation or a consultation, please contact nickhudson@earthlink.net.
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Nick Hudson knew about how to build a nearly perfect garden store. He knew what did and did not work.
It took him years tramping around his little place to discover annoying quirks in the day to day activities of the business, so many special needs for the movement of plants and plant care products that required doors in the right place, lighting in the right location, and parking lots that were set up properly. It was the little quirks that could cause a lot of work; faulty buried irrigation valves that had to be dug up in the middle of an aisle, check outs that caused massed confusion and flowers delivered that had to be placed on the roof because there was nowhere for them to go.
He had seen a lot of big garden stores, places that some famous architect had planned, who had never worked in the business and had seen the problems. He spotted the mistakes right away. He wrote them down in his little brown notebook. It was time to design green garden gates. It was time to open the notebook
In deciding the look for green garden gates, the group of four, together with our new manager, Dana Scofield, settled on some basic principles;
1. The design of the buildings will be simple, classic structures, which will blend into any community in the
2. It will be easy to embellish or add to the structures to fit the flavor of the community and geographical location.
3. The structures will be cost effective, efficient with high re-sale appeal. They can be repeated over and over in any location of the country.
4. The structures will be totally functional and pragmatic for the present use and any number of other future uses.
5 The structures will be “green”, with a minimum carbon footprint in the initial building as well as in the daily operations of the store.
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The “Mall” look or the “Disney” look
There are two distinct designs of garden stores that interested us for green garden gates. Both of them can be successful.
The first is to cover the entire customer area completely. This can be done by a range of permanently enclosed greenhouses or by using retractable greenhouse/shade house structures. The customer can then move from one venue to another, one display area to another out of the weather and in comfort. This is the shopping center “Wal-Mart concept. There is one way in and one way out. The environment is completely controlled. False little storefronts can be constructed inside this huge area to interest the customer.
The second is used by Disney in their theme parks. Customers move from one structure, one area of interest, one theme to another and are caught up in each distinct presentation. They moved from a neutral environment to a particular feature “world” all through their park.
We, at green garden gates want our customers experience the ultimate adventure and discovery in gardening, plants and plant care. Rather than a big overall covering, we want a series of structures that invites this adventure and discovery. We have chosen the “Disney” concept for this core reason. The long term cost of building separate structures may or may not be more cost effective than the “Mall” covering, but we believe this concept gives our customers a gardening world that we want at green garden gates.
"There’s little more satisfying than walking into a store, picking up the (metaphorical) scent of something we’ve been hunting for and then tracking it to its lair. Too much signage and point of purchase display take all the adventure out of the shopping trip; stores shouldn’t be willfully confusing or obscure, but they should seduce shoppers through the aisles with suggestions and hints of what’s to come”
“Why We Buy”
By Paco Underhill
The Greenhouse Look or a Flower Market look
Our customers will only have a brief glance from their vehicles as they pass quickly on a busy street. How we present green garden gates to them in this glance makes all the difference in their decision to shop or just drive by.
Many garden stores have stuck with the traditional greenhouse look. They place a greenhouse structure as the showplace of the store which is highly visible to the passing vehicle traffic. This is especially appealing when the main building is very close to the street. At first, when the store is new, the greenhouse looks terrific. As it ages, the greenhouse look starts to get tired, often dirty, and routine. Of course, at that point, there is very little the owner can do for a makeover. The owner is stuck with the greenhouse. To a lesser degree, there is the notion that customers often associate greenhouses with florist shops and fresh flowers. We want to be much more than that. To add to that little problem with these greenhouse themed buildings is a subtle feeling with some customers and a bit disturbing to us; greenhouses mean florists mean expensive.
The other concept is that of a flower market. The structures have more of a warehouse look with the emphasis on not just plants, but the entire range of gardening products. There can be plenty of display of color and texture of plants with this flower market look, but the presentation is not limited to a bunch of
We have a different business model at green garden gates that requires additional thinking about "the look". First, we are closed for business at times of the year. That means that the greenhouses will be empty and abandoned an out of business feeling. Then there is the matter of maintaining the greenhouse during those closed months; extra heating may be required to keep them safe. Second, we are extremely close to the street traffic for the impact of a greenhouse. Customers would have to look carefully though gates and past a parking area to get the “hit” of a flower filled greenhouse. Third, we want the ability to change with the retailing times. We are hesitant about the investment in greenhouse structures and the cost to change the look in the months and years to come.
We have decided on a flower market look but have added a hint of “greenhouse” in our “bookends” buildings. The upper sides of the structure and the entire roof will be large panels of glass. The building will stay lighted night and day during the season. We believe that this combination will convince the customer that we are in the plant and plant care business.
It’s the color stupid
In our travels to garden stores, we have been stunned by the lack color in the structures of these businesses. Many of them have as much appeal to the gardener as a radiator shop! 
HELLO, we live and die by color in the gardening business. Oh yeah, the petunias are in bloom and the flowering cherries have blossoms, but the place looks like it is making boat trailers to the customer passing by.
We are determined that green garden gates will be a place of color from start to finish; the buildings, the adornments, the signing, the uniforms and our plants and plant care products. In each of our stores, depending on the predominant color themes of the geographic region, we will have a standard color palette as we use with the style of the structures.
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In the following entries, we sketch the buildings and grounds of green garden gates. These are the first concept designs. When we are completed, we will draw upon the technical and design expertise of an architect, a builder, and an artist to refine the sketches for color and form as well as the efficient and cost saving practicality of our concepts.
We start with a simple box. We call it the blockhouse. It is the signature for all the green garden gates. Customers new to the area will immediately identify the building. Consequently, they will relate to the quality, selection and service of the business that occupies that building and those structures. The blockhouse will be prominently positioned on the site for the maximum exposure to the public.
It is a two story square building, with an interior measurement of about thirty feet by thirty feet. It is a clear span stick built structure with no bearing walls. It will be on a concrete slab with no crawl space.
Many garden store owners make the mistake of building large tempered structures, sort of monuments to themselves. These grand buildings make the cover of trade magazines but end up costing a lot of money to construct and maintain and are targets for higher property taxes. We believe that there is no need to make this unnecessary investment in the garden store business. Most products can be easily and effectively displayed outside in sheltered, enclosed spaces
The 900 square feet on the first floor will be the retail garden store. The ceiling height on the first floor is ten feet to allow for the look of spaciousness. Entrance and exiting to and from the retail first floor is from the side after the customer enters into the structure built on each side. This retail area is the only public area that will be heated and air conditioned.
Security is important to our business. We want as few entrances and exits as possible for our structures. Customers do not enter directly into this first floor . Rather, they enter the complex and then into the first floor. It is hard to control customer traffic flow during the season. Too many doors just will add to securing the business. We also believe that there must be some area of the business that is heated and air conditioned for the comfort of both the customers and staff and this first floor area is designed for this
The first floor houses garden and garden related gift items that require special attention away from the harsh outdoor under cover environment or require extra security.The first floor contains an indoor checkout area that passages into the outdoor checkout area of the store built onto the blockhouse. It has an adjacent small office for conducting daily administrative activities. The windows that do not open in this first floor. The number and style of windows will depend on the design “flavor” of the community.
These windows do not open for security reasons. Windows that open just add one more concern and allows for possible losses of energy during the days and nights. The combination indoor and outdoor checkout area gives the flexibility for one staff member to handle both indoor and outdoor transactions on slow days of the season.
The second floor houses the manager’s apartment. It measures the same, 900 square feet on the interior walls. The ceiling height is eight feet rather than the first floor ten feet. It also is heated and air conditioned. Entrancing and exiting to and from the second floor is from an interior private staircase that leads to several areas; to the first floor retail area, to the outdoor area, and to the garage adjacent to the blockhouse. All the windows open in this second floor to take advantage of the weather conditions of the seasons. The second floor of the blockhouse will have a large outdoor deck attached for the manager's personal needs.
The signing for green garden gates on this blockhouse will be prominent from all directions that are visible to the public. A large red light will be mounted on a pole on top of the roof that signals to our gardening customers that a freeze is possible that night.
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