#51 OUR FIRST STORE* (revised 6/6) "why tulsa?" part three

Is there a “pride of ownership" in Tulsa and surrounding towns?

Is gardening an active pursuit as part of this pride of ownership?


Pride of ownership is a key element for locating a green garden gates. It is not economical to invest in cities and towns where the residents or businesses are transient and do not have his pride. If gardening is not a part of the life of the community, we cannot rely on a profitable future with our stores.


Tulsa has a dual identity of the Midwestern “can do” spirit and the quiet enduring elegance of the South. Pride in ownership is evident in buildings; residential, commercial and manufacturing. Parks and community areas are well maintained with order and dignity. Older sections of the city have been re-vitalized. New developments are upscale and appealing. Tulsa, as a result of the “boom and bust” economy of its roots as “the oil city” has numbers of estates and large homes interspersed in areas of the city. Business and residential districts within the city are named.

Residents and business owners within those districts are active in keeping the vitality of those districts. 92% of the housing units in Tulsa are occupied. 56% of the housing units were owner occupied compared the national average of 44%, Unique and beautiful architecture abounds in Tulsa. Tulsa is the third city within the United States with the largest number of art deco buildings after Chicago and New York City. Tulsa has pride in ownership. Tulsa has the second, third and fourth tallest buildings in the state. The latest icon building to be constructed is the BOK center that was designed by famed architect, Cesar Pelli, the creator of the famous Petronas Towers in Malaysia. The city continues to shine as when Time Magazine in the 1950's dubbed Tulsa as "America's most beautiful city"



Gardening, growing plants, and landscaping play an important roll in the pride in ownership of Tulsa and Tulsa County. The daily newspaper, The Tulsa World, features up to four gardening column writers in their offering. The Sunday edition is alive with garden articles. There are a number of show and test gardens in the city. The master gardener organization is large and diverse. There is located on an older residential estate, a community non-profit informational and demonstration “garden center” staffed by hundreds of volunteers year round for help and advice to the residents. Plants and plant care are part of the city of Tulsa and the surrounding county. In addition, Tulsa residents have been actively supporting sustainable and locally grown food in the community. That commitment has and will continue to encourage community food gardens in areas around the city. The commercial and industrial businesses keep maintained and consistently upgrade their landscaping features of the building and grounds. Landscape maintanence and construction companies are numerous, active and profitable.


What is the age range of the people of Tulsa?


Age plays a large role in the decision to locate a green garden gates. We are interested in a population of older stable residents with larger discretionary incomes as well as families starting new homes in the area. Our stores will fail if we do not have these groups as customers. The balance of men to women in the area also is important. Women are major customers of garden stores and their presence and ability to purchase is extremely important.


The total population of married couples in Tulsa is 53% of the population. 52% of the total population is female, 48% is male. 45% if the population is in the age range of 18 to 44 while 22% were ages 45 to 64. This means that nearly half of the population in the Tulsa area could be in the process of landscaping and upgrading new and existing homes, with large purchases of trees and shrubs while 22% of the residents may be maintaining their existing homes with smaller but most likely higher ticket plants at the garden stores.


What are the education levels and educational opportunities of the residents of Tulsa?


On the surface, gardening does not seem to be a terribly sophisticated pastime; throw down a few seeds, water and hoe. But in reality, successful gardening and landscaping takes a person who has curiosity, perseverance, and pride in his or her work, as well as the ability to explore and research. We like the gardeners whatever their levels of education or sophistication but we need a population of higher educational levels to grow green garden gates


Tulsa is blessed with 15 institutions of higher learning. University of Tulsa is ranked in the top ten of colleges where students are the happiest in their quality of life and their relationship with their community. The University of Oklahoma branch campus offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. Oklahoma State University's branch Tulsa campus offers among other programs, a college of osteopathic medicine and a center for health sciences. There is a major school of aeronautics in Tulsa as well. The Tulsa Vocational Center is the oldest and largest vocational center in the state. Tulsa Community College operates four campuses across the city.


There are three public school districts in the system, with nine high schools. Booker T. Washington high school has been judged to be the 65th best school in the United States by Newsweek Magazine. There are a number of Catholic and religious schools and colleges in the Tulsa market. 84% of the population as a high school diploma compared to the national average of 80%. 71,000 people in Tulsa have a bachelor's degree or higher, 29% of the population compared to the national average of 24%.

#50 OUR FIRST STORE * (revised 6/6) "why tulsa?" part two

What about the climate, the weather, and plants that can grow there?

It is essential that we locate green garden gates stores in areas with favorable weather conditions for the springtime planting and fall planting seasons. Our research indicates that 50% if sales are lost with a day of constant rain and showers and that only 25% of those sales are recoverable if the grounds are totally covered and protected. Also, in the fall season, sudden cold weather and recurrent storms will decrease sales dramatically and shorten the season. In order to provide as many plant varieties as possible, we need a climate where they will tolerate and thrive.

Weather and climate in Tulsa and Tulsa County make nearly idea conditions for locating our first store. The gardening season starts early, in March and concludes for the spring at about mid June with an average of only 4 frost days in March diminishing to zero in the months of May and June. The wettest parts of the year are April through June, but because of the rapidly changing daily weather patterns of thunderstorms that average 50 days a year, mostly in the spring, a downpour will occur rapidly and quickly followed by sunshine for the majority of the business day. With those downpours, major floor events can occur. In 1984, a stalled weather front dropped 15 inches of rain overnight, killing 14 people, injuring 288, and destroyed 7000 buildings totaling 180 million dollars in damage. Tulsa now has the most extensive flood control systems in the nation. Our observations note that it is very common for gardeners to stand in the stores and wait out the downpour, returning to their shopping in the full sunshine and warmth of the rest of the day.

The Tulsa area does suffer from relatively high humidity during the spring season, but because of the consistent daily light winds on average of 7 miles per hour, the humidity is for the most part dispersed and not suffocating to gardening customers. The important element of this weather pattern is that this area can received nearly 80% sunshine during the planting season

Tulsa has exciting and challenging weather patterns that will need to be addressed with the building and sheltering of our customers of green garden gates. First, the downpours of rain and often accompanying cracks of lighting and deafening bolts of thunder can be dramatic and occur without notice. Customers will have to be sheltered from these storms for customers to continue to shop for plants. Also, Tulsa and Tulsa county ranks as the number one place for damaging hail in the United States. Plants also will have to always protected from this weather element. Finally, Tulsa and Tulsa County can receive tornadoes, infrequently but possibly. This is “tornado alley” There were 68 large and small tornadoes recorded in this area in the last fifty years. There needs to be adequate safeguards in place for customers and damage to structures in these tornado events.

The average growing season day in Tulsa and Tulsa County is a whopping 220 days nearly 100 days more than areas in the more northern Midwest. Further, if garden plants, shrubs and trees can withstand short periods of colder temperatures, the growing season can be extended even another six weeks. Because of these climate factors, a great variety of plants will grow and prosper. Tulsa is in a United States Department of Agriculture climate zone for plants as 6b, lowest temperatures from 0 degrees down to -5 degrees. Recently Tulsa metro has been upgraded to a 7a, with lowest temperatures from 5 degrees down to 0 degrees. These plant climate zones dramatically improve the ability to offer a larger selection of plant than any other area in the Midwest.

Another area of concern for plants survival in this area is the extreme heat in the summer months. It is not uncommon to have temperatures of 100 degrees or more for a number of days without significant or no rainfall. Tulsa, as a result of heat and air inversions has frequent ozone alerts where residents are advised to stay indoors and avoid driving. Massive and thorough plant irrigation is not as important in the spring months because of the soaking rainfall from thunderstorms, but as the late spring and summer approaches, the design of green garden gates must include an irrigation program that will be penetrating deep into the pots.

#49 COMMENTS * (revised 6/4) "but when I am alone...)

"But when I am alone
In the half-light of the canyon,
All existence seems to fade to a being with my soul and memories
And the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River
And a four-count rhythm
And the hope that a fish will rise."

“A River Runs Through It”

#48 OUR FIRST STORE * (revised 6/4) "why tulsa? part one

“I was used to California girls, with their perfectly manicured nails and their pointy Italian shoes gingerly stepping and placing there hands into the flowers. Everything, I mean everything was hand carried and fitted into their Lexus convertibles.

So I was astonished to see in our rain soaked parking lot, two women hoisting a two hundred pound tree into an old unpainted pickup. I ran across the pavement pleading to help them and was greeted by broad smiles, “That’s ok, we got it in and tied down” This was not California. This was Wisconsin. Anything was possible.”

We like everything about the Midwest. Well, almost everything.

The big guy upstairs could have gone a little easier on the bugs and the humidity, the snakes and the muddy water. We felt at home there. The small towns of wood and clapboard, the closeness and bonding of the communities, the values and the work ethic, all lent themselves to a beginning for our dream of green garden gates.

We decided on three areas for our first store; The State of Wisconsin, somewhere along the corridor of the cities of Oshkosh, Appleton, and Green Bay. Another was in Minnesota, Near Chanhassen and Chaska, just Southwest of the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. For the final choice, we moved to the very south of the Midwest, an area that has a strange split personality of being “Midwest” and being “Southern”, The State of Oklahoma, the city of Tulsa, and Tulsa’s surrounding towns and suburbs.

All of us visited the areas over the course of the three months. We met with community leaders, toured possible land sites, viewed the manufacturing and retail sections, the schools, the government offices, competitive businesses in gardening and building projects. We studied the history and the stability of the region. We moved through neighborhoods and watched gardeners tending their summer proud flowers and foliage. We followed set criteria and scored each area. At last, after days of photos and reports covering our motel beds, we came to only one choice; we would bet our dream on Tulsa..

Why Tulsa?

Is Tulsa located close to other cities?

“I had two bike shops ninety miles apart. I spent all my time driving back and forth on that road from one shop to another instead of taking care of the needs of my customers”

Small bike shop owner

Northern California

Our plan is to gather our stores into a tight area of the country and to expand into other clusters across the United States. We cannot choose isolated cities and towns no matter how appealing they may be. We must be able to service and manage a number of stores within close geographical proximity to one another.

Yes, Tulsa has a number of major cities and towns within two to four hours drive. To the north is Wichita, Kansas and a bit farther, the Kansas City metro market. To the South is Texas and the Dallas/Fort Worth area, To the East are the major cities in Arkansas, Fort Smith and Little Rock, To the West is Amarillo. For immediate expansion the least effort of these areas is Oklahoma City, two hours away. All these areas are easily accessible by vehicle or by airport travel that connects conveniently to Tulsa.

Tulsa has a number of rapidly expanding suburban towns on all directions from the city. To the North is Owasso; To the South are Broken Arrow, Jenks, Bixby and Glenpool. To the West is Sand Springs, and to the East is Catoosa. The population of Tulsa is about 393,000 people with an additional of about 200,000 people living in the major towns and suburbs.

Because of these clusters of cities and suburbs near Tulsa, we are able to develop more green garden gates stores and service these stores easily and economically.

What is the state of the job market and the wage scales in Tulsa?

We want stable cities and towns who are on the upswing in jobs and wages, and have a long term future in solid industries. We cannot invest in areas where unemployment lingers and where factories are closing.

Tulsa is a bright economic area for job growth, population growth, and wages in the lower Midwest and South.

“

Rounding out the Top 5 "Salary Value" cities (in the United States) is the booming Oklahoma town of Tulsa. Tulsa is the second largest city in Oklahoma with 393,000 residents within the city limits, and is expected to gain 30,000 more inhabitants by 2010. Tulsa isn't your typical Oklahoma oil patch town. It's one of America's top industry leaders in aerospace, oil and gas, and technology. Extremely low business and living costs have made the metro a hotspot for entrepreneurs. A low unemployment rate has also helped power Tulsa onto our Top 5.

From Salary.com

The major industries and their employee numbers contribute to the extremely stable workforce. They are American Airlines 9,100 Tulsa Public Schools 7,000 City of Tulsa 4,220 St. Francis Hospital 4,100 St. John Medical Center 4,050 Bank of Oklahoma 2,520 Hillcrest Medical Center 2,350 Tulsa Community College 2,200. The unemployment rate for the Tulsa area is an average of 7.1%. The average salary is 35,586.00.

“Tulsa's central location in the United States makes it a desirable place to locate nearly any type of business, from manufacturing to retail, telecommunications, and service-oriented industries. Operating costs generally run well below the national average. According to a 2004 study published by Forbes magazine, the Tulsa metropolitan area ranks as the third lowest metro area in terms of cost-of-living in the United States.”

From Forbes Magazine

What is the quality of life in the Tulsa area?

We want our customers and our employees to be immersed in a satisfying quality of life in their community, in their work, and at home. Quality of life means available financial means and overall pride in ownership, which we believe translates directly to gardening and green garden gates.

Tulsa has a nurturing wonderful quality of life.

“Incorporated in 1898, Tulsa lies in the heart of "Green Country," a fertile forested region of rolling hills in northeastern Oklahoma. Straddling Tulsa, Osage and Rogers counties, Tulsa is the second largest city in the state, located 90 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, the state capital. We are a flourishing city with the friendliness and close-knit attitude of a much smaller town. Tulsa boasts of low unemployment, with an economy based on telecommunications, manufacturing, aerospace, transportation and energy.

Tulsa's energy jobs have helped it remain relatively stable during this economic downtown, and Oklahoma is among the six states whose metropolitan areas have managed to avoid a recession. January's unemployment rate in Tulsa rose to 5.6 percent—a bit high for Tulsa, but more than 3 points below the national average. Tulsa also boasts a deep water port located on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, offering a Foreign Trade Zone, two industrial parks and liquid and dry cargo storage. Tulsa International Airport offers direct service to most major cities in the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis has reported that Oklahoma ranked number 4 nationally in percentage growth of personal income in 2008.

So we remain optimistic, and we continue to grow. Tulsa's BOK Center, our state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue, is thriving in spite of the tough economy. In a recent tally of ticket sales at the top 50 venues in the world, the BOK Center was ninth worldwide, and second in the United States. Home to the Tulsa Talons arena football league team and Tulsa Oilers hockey, the BOK Center also hosts concerts, ice shows and other world-class entertainment. Next year will see the completion of a major renovation to the Tulsa Convention Center, featuring the opening of the largest ballroom in Oklahoma. We've already broken ground for the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park and memorial near downtown Tulsa, and for ONEOK Field, a new stadium that will open in 2010 for the Tulsa Drillers, the double A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

Tulsa is a city of districts, each with a unique character. The Greenwood Historical District was once one of the most affluent African-American communities in the United States, known as "Black Wall Street." The up-and-coming East Village and the Pearl are walkable neighborhoods with lofts, shops and services. In Midtown you'll find a wide variety of American style homes ranging from the Craftsman bungalow to the ranch-style home to Greek Revival houses, mostly built in the early part of the twentieth century. The Maple Ridge Historic District is home to the mansions on "Black Gold Row," built by the oil barons in the 1920s. And in South Tulsa you'll find many new developments, with houses and apartments for every price range.

Tulsa Public Schools is on a “Journey to Performance Excellence,” a five-year strategic effort to make our excellent schools even better. The largest district in Oklahoma, we are proud of our schools, including Booker T. Washington High School, a magnet school ranked among the Top 100 high schools in the United States by Newsweek. The school system, which also includes Union Public Schools and Jenks Public Schools, acts as a unifying organization within the community, providing activities for its families and a sense of pride, support and identity for its patrons. We also have several private K-12 schools, many of them affiliated with Catholic, Protestant or Jewish religious communities. Fifteen universities serve the Tulsa area, including the University of Tulsa, Oral Roberts University, and a branch of Oklahoma State University

We are proud of our cultural diversity, and of the cultural activities that celebrate our part and our future. We are home to four major museums, including the Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art, which houses the world's largest collection of Thomas Moran's work, and various music and dance companies, including the internationally known Tulsa Opera and the Tulsa Ballet. We have a revitalized downtown, and the historic Greenwood Jazz District and the Blue Dome Arts District are not to be missed.

With all Tulsa has to offer, it's no wonder more people relocate here every day. Oklahoma placed Number 6 in the first "Happiness Index" from the personal finance site MainStreet.com, and we would be more than glad to share our happiness with you.

From Re-Locate America Magazine

“America’s top 100 places to live in 2009”

#47 OUR FIRST STORE * (revised 6/4) "choosing the location"

“ I would walk to the end of the street

And out over the prairie.

With the clickity grasshoppers

Bunging in arcs ahead of me,

And I could hear the hum and twang

Of the wind

And the great prairie harp of the telephone wires.

Standing there,

With the total thrust of the prairie sun on my vulnerable head,

I guess I learned at a very young age

That I was mortal”

W.O. Mitchell

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a long journey,

She clocked 120 days of freeways and back roads, 7000 miles, three oil changes, two flat tires, a fender bender, and enough Wendy’s hamburger wrappers to wallpaper a small room. Twyla unloaded the worn boxes filled with chamber of commerce pamphlets and reached under the worn seats for stray business cards and sticky notes that had slipped off the passenger seat. The search was finally over. Now comes the fun stuff.

The four had decided that the first green garden gates would be somewhere in the lower Midwest of the United States. They had followed the checklist Nick had written years ago in his brown notebook and the group updated the questions for any changes that had occurred since his writing. Twyla worked the checklist as she visited the states, cities and towns in this region and carefully answered each question.

All the data for each area was e-mailed the others, weighted and rated in order to make the choice. Finally, last night, after the long conference call, they decided. They general area and the specific property was chosen

The first green garden gates, the model for all the others to follow, the model that would tell them if their dreams could work, was to be located in Tulsa and Tulsa County, Oklahoma, just on the outer edge of the city of Tulsa, on the edge of our great American prairie

#46 TRAILBLAZES * (revised 6/4) "procedures, protocol, and order

We, at green garden gates, while having the appearance of a free wheeling marketplace for plants and plant care products, subscribe to a firm foundation of standardized procedures, protocol and order.

It is important that our customers move from one of our stores to another in any area of the region and the country and feel comfortable that they are able to shop and transact for their gardening needs in a similar manner, with little confusion and much familiarity.

Our employee training includes standard protocols for attending to customers, our procedures for purchases, returns and credits are the same, our promotions are similar, exchanges can be honored in the network at any green garden gates location, our advertising is recognizable throughout the store system, and the handling of the products is a standard system for all the stores.

It is also important that the stores have order both in procedure, and physical appearance. Signing is the same, the equipment for operation is the same, shopping baskets and checkout are the same, and forms and guarantees are the same. The appearance of the buildings and the look of the employees are the same, the colors of the presentations and the “feel” and atmosphere is interchangeable from one store to another.

We further understand that standardizing these operations can lead to a “wooden” or lifeless atmosphere in our stores. Every attempt is made to foster innovation, thoughtful decision making outside the box in each store and innovation that encourages customer sales and service, breaking the absolute rigidity that order and standardization often brings to a retail facility.


In other words, we want our customers to believe that we, at green garden gates, are a little bit crazy and freewheeling. In fact, we are well ordered and know exactly what we are doing at all times

#45 TRAILBLAZES * (revised 6/4) "give it away"

If we believe that every product in our stores has to be sold at a price, we are fools.
We will end up paying the price for that attitude.




“I would rather burn it than sale it”

A large garden store owner in Missouri
when asked about his specials and promotions

“For years I have placed a nice order each spring for garden seeds and some supplies from my favorite mail order catalog. My reason is a little silly. I could probably buy the same stuff from my local garden store for less money. You know why? Because when I open that box, they always send me something for free. It may be a dumb little measuring spoon or a ruler, or a handy pocket knife for cutting. But I use them and I look forward to what kind of neat prize I am getting this season!”

A gardener from
North Dakota

“I took my truck and trailer down to my favorite garden store and stacked it heaping full with bags of bark for my flower beds. There were two old broken half bags sitting in the corner. I asked the manager if I could buy those bags at a reduced price to add to the load. The manager, who help load the order, refused and would only sell me the bags at full price, saying that he never discounted anything. You know what? There is something that I will never do. I will never return to that store again.”

Homeowner
From Nevada

“Ten years ago, my wife and I moved to this town in Colorado. It was a new house and we needed a lot of plants for landscaping. I just picked a garden store at random, looked over their selection and started buying right then and there. The Manager was kind enough to extend to us a small discount on the purchase which helped. But when we got to the cash register, a funny thing happened. The owner, seeing the large purchase, approached us to thank us personally for choosing her store. Then she pointed to the selection of flowers and said “Please pick out a couple flats of Geraniums for your home, as our gift to you.” We were delighted. This has been our garden store for ten years because of the kindness of the owner. We would never shop anywhere else.”

Retired homeowner
from Colorado

We believe in a strong partnership between our gardeners and green garden gates. Our customers understand that we must receive a reasonable profit for our plants and plant care products. We understand that is it our responsibility to insure that they are successful in their gardening and landscaping efforts. But, no one likes to get nicked. No one likes to get nickeled and dimed in the process. Our employees are trained to understand this. If a customer has just purchased four expensive hanging baskets and needs one more of those cheap wire hangers for another pot at home, GIVE IT TO HER! If a large purchase is made, show appreciation for the sale by GIVING SOMETHING BACK! If there is a major chip in a decorative pot, don’t stand there holding to the marked price, REDUCE THE PRICE! And don’t blame it on the computer for preventing a reduction in the price or the giving of a plant, cut through the red tape and make it happen.

There is just no substitute for showing your appreciation to your customers with a little extra that is unexpected or even expected. This kind of approach at green garden gates to the partnership pays off in spades time and time again.

#44 TRAILBLAZES * (revised 7/3) "be there be gone"

In 1853, the California gold rush was in full swing and everyday items were in short supply. A young 24 year old German immigrant arrived in San Francisco with a small supply of dry goods with the intention of opening a branch of his brother’s New York store.

Shortly after his arrival, a prospector wanted to know what he was selling. The young merchant told him he had rough canvas to use for tents and wagon covers. The prospector said, “You should have brought pants!” saying that he could not find a pair of pants strong enough to last the rough and tumble work of the gold fields.

The young German quickly had the canvas made into waist overalls, but the miners complained that the canvas tended to chafe. He substituted twilled cotton from France. Later the pocket stitch design was used and a patented process was introduced of putting rivets into the pants for extra strength.

The pants were called “blue jeans” and the young immigrant was Levi Strauss.

The mass of fortune from the Gold Rush was not won by the 300,000 prospectors who toiled along the many California rivers and streams. It was those merchants who went where the miners went, anticipating their needs and offering their services. It was Levi Strauss who saw opportunity and turned his wagon covers into pants.

be there.....

So many owners of garden stores will not accept that the marketplace for plants and plant care products continually changes. They wait each spring for the same customers buying the same products. They ignore that plain truth that the floor has moved from under them. They harp that those products purchased at “other places” are just not of good quality, which is generally not the case. They get angry and frustrated. They just put their heads in the sand. Others get down on the tracks each day, put their ear on the cold steel and listen for the train roaring toward them.

We, at green garden gates, go where our gardening customers go. We will be there, anywhere, anytime.

When the snow and cold keeps the gardeners away from their flowers and they keep busy thumbing through the mail order catalogues that flood their mailboxes, green garden gates will be there with similar catalogues and offers.

When the farmers markets open in the communities, we will be there with products and plants.

When the backyard hobby growers put out their open signs, we will be there by partnering with them both at their locations and at our stores.

When the garden clubs offer fundraising seminars and events, we will be there with sponsorships and promotions

When the big box stores are ready with their garden departments, we will be ready with similar “deal busters”.

And we are prepared to take full advantage of the most revolutionary method of purchasing, interaction, and information in the history of retailing: the Internet. We, at green garden gates will find and develop every possible avenue to introduce ourselves to our customers in this now well established world of commerce.

Levi Strauss went where the miners went. He saw the need.

We will go where the gardeners go

be gone......

The other side of being there is being gone.

"Over the years, I have come to understand a truth about operating my garden store.

I believe that there are changing seasons in people. They look to us for the spring, the newness of it all, when the sun and ground warms.

I believe that we just have to understand that, in the eyes of the consumer, we, as the sellers of plants, are not far from a orchardist who sell his apples in the fall, or a fisherman who sells her catch on the docks after the morning run.

There is a natural rhythm to this, a time that the customer looks toward us for their gardening needs. When the plants are in the ground, they look away and elsewhere for the other goods that they need in their lives".

Erik Divisar

garden store owner

Upstate New York

Many garden store owners can become wildly intoxicated with the springtime crowds flocking to them, showering money over them from every direction during those exciting and heady weeks of “the season”. They are bulletproof, convinced that the song will never end. It does end. The gardeners have planted. When suddenly, so suddenly that it happens almost within minutes, the spiket stops streaming money into the pocket and starts drawing money from the pocket, the owner’s thoughts turn to the remaining months until the planting returns.

Faced with the burden and dilemma and what to do with now with the employees and bolstered by their sheer invincibility, they make the choice to do it again, to re create the spring all during the year. After all, our customers love us don’t they? They will follow us anywhere, won’t they? They will buy anything we offer, won’t they?

So they commit the checkbook into turning spring into summer, fall, and winter. Out go the petunia tables, in come the barbecues, the little wine coolers, the fancy outdoor furniture and playground sets. These are followed in the fall with bundles of wood and wood burning stoves.

Then to the granddaddy of them all, THE CHRISTMAS STORE. Some garden stores in the United States have been successful, some very successful to the point that Christmas, for example, is larger than springtime. Sadly, however, most stores fail miserably when they turn their attention away from plants and plant care products.

The answer is simple.

After the planting is done, your customers don’t even give your garden store another thought. In fact, they are quiet surprised that you are even open for business. They don’t need you. You have served your purpose. They have moved on. All of those products that now fill the little garden store can be purchased from merchants who have far better selection, more expertise. They just know the game with these products.

“A business consultant to a garden store owner ran headlong into an owner who almost violently insisted that his store would always stay open during the winter and would always sell Christmas trees and Christmas gifts. The consultant, armed with an excel spreadsheet convinced the owner that he could close down the store after November 1^st, pay his retained employees a handsome bonus and lay them off until spring, turn off the lights, shut down the heat, lock the gates, return the next spring and lose less money than attempting to stay open and sell all of that stuff. The consultant was shown the door. Two years later, the owner closed the store after November 1^st, paid his retained employees a handsome bonus, laid them off until spring, turned off the lights, shut down the head, locked the gates and returned the next spring.”

We, at green garden gates, follow the gardeners. We are open every day, including holidays, from about March 1^st until about July 1^st. (some stores close on Sundays and Holidays during the spring planting season. That is so ridiculous. The salmon are swimming up the stream and the owner tears a hole in the net for Sundays and Holidays!)

We close on Sundays after July 1^st and have shortened summer hours. We re-open with regular spring hours during the fall planting season and close the store for the season about October 1st, returning again on March 1^st. The exact times and hours depend on the geographical location of our stores and the planting habits of our gardeners.