Log in

goodpods headphones icon

To access all our features

Open the Goodpods app
Close icon
In The Garden - A Flamethrower on a Bike - The Origin of Garden Supply Company

A Flamethrower on a Bike - The Origin of Garden Supply Company

03/28/23 • 9 min

In The Garden
  • Keith, from Garden Supply Company, shares his background and passion for gardening, inspired by his parents.
  • Despite his parents considering gardening a hobby, he pursued a career in horticulture.
  • As a teenager, Keith did odd jobs in the neighborhood, including cleaning out a chicken coop where he found a flamethrower.
  • He utilized the flamethrower to offer unique services like cleaning out areas under trees for his customers.
  • Keith had always been a horticulturalist at heart, even growing plants and rooting boxwood cuttings as a young child.
  • Garden Supply Company is now in its 27th year and started as a five-person landscape company, offering delivery, installation, and landscaping services.
  • The company's focus has always been on service, from small jobs to larger landscaping projects.
  • The opportunity to open a garden center arose when a previous one closed after six months, allowing Keith to step in and grow the business.
  • The company has grown steadily over the years, now employing around 75 people and offering various services.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic led to an explosion in business growth for Garden Supply Company, contrasting with other businesses that struggled during that time.
  • The company attracted many new customers and even employees who changed their careers during the pandemic.
  • Garden Supply Company values its customers and is grateful for their support throughout the years.
  • Keith's hands-on approach in the early days helped shape the company's success, with him personally assisting customers in every step of their experience.
  • The company fills a market void between DIY gardeners and large landscape companies, catering to different customer needs.
  • Today, Garden Supply Company is a well-oiled machine, consistently growing and adapting to the market's needs.
plus icon
bookmark
  • Keith, from Garden Supply Company, shares his background and passion for gardening, inspired by his parents.
  • Despite his parents considering gardening a hobby, he pursued a career in horticulture.
  • As a teenager, Keith did odd jobs in the neighborhood, including cleaning out a chicken coop where he found a flamethrower.
  • He utilized the flamethrower to offer unique services like cleaning out areas under trees for his customers.
  • Keith had always been a horticulturalist at heart, even growing plants and rooting boxwood cuttings as a young child.
  • Garden Supply Company is now in its 27th year and started as a five-person landscape company, offering delivery, installation, and landscaping services.
  • The company's focus has always been on service, from small jobs to larger landscaping projects.
  • The opportunity to open a garden center arose when a previous one closed after six months, allowing Keith to step in and grow the business.
  • The company has grown steadily over the years, now employing around 75 people and offering various services.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic led to an explosion in business growth for Garden Supply Company, contrasting with other businesses that struggled during that time.
  • The company attracted many new customers and even employees who changed their careers during the pandemic.
  • Garden Supply Company values its customers and is grateful for their support throughout the years.
  • Keith's hands-on approach in the early days helped shape the company's success, with him personally assisting customers in every step of their experience.
  • The company fills a market void between DIY gardeners and large landscape companies, catering to different customer needs.
  • Today, Garden Supply Company is a well-oiled machine, consistently growing and adapting to the market's needs.

Previous Episode

undefined - What's Next?

What's Next?

Shannon: What's next in garden supply? .

Keith: I'm here with Shannon from Garden Supply Company. We're talking about what's next what's next for Garden Supply Company and what the stuff we've got coming in and changes we're making. We're moving away from. Some of the mass produced products and going with more local products a new look.

Or an old look if you will, a modern sixties, seventies kinda look. But she's got a long list of stuff that we've, that we're bringing in that Renee and the girls are picking up in Atlanta and from local vendors. But it's exciting.

It's, we're changing it up and trying to come up with a new look.

Shannon: Yeah, they're really doing an amazing job. Picking out some products turning our boutique more into an outdoor living space. Which is really exciting. Yeah.

Keith: And, and working house plants, They go hand in hand. Yeah. Interior furniture with house plants and with. With new modern containers and that kind

Shannon: of thing. Absolutely. And also that patio living. Absolutely. We've got some bistro sets coming in, the little table and two chairs. Sure. And then some family gathering type of things like outdoor games.

Which can always be fun. Yeah. There tons of fun serving sets.

Keith: Yeah. We were just talking about how bad TV was. Yes. So that's getting away from tv, and getting back to board games and things that bring families

Shannon: together. Absolutely. Some of that like backgammon almost.

Keith: Sure. We did an outdoor living space recently and when I'm not out there, it still makes me really happy because it's I'm viewing it from afar.

. But it's, it's a covered space. It's got a ceiling fan and, there's outdoor furniture out there and it's just a, such a relaxing, fun

Shannon: space. I've seen it and it really turned out stunning. And then the way you've brought in, Plants, like the white bird of paradise right out there is just,

Keith: yeah.

And they're thriving out there because they're in the North Carolina humidity and got a fishtail palm out there in, real modern pots. And, that's a way you can change up the look of your, the front porch or the look of your back porch. Is to update the pots and get away from some of the big heavy urns and start incorporating, you know, more modern pots and containers.

Shannon: Some of the ones I love that Renee's been able to bring in are those lightstone. Or light white pots, the fiber clay. Yep. It has that look of concrete or ceramic but is so lightweight that I can pick it up all by myself. And

Keith: especially like the two that we just talked about that are in my backyard the fishtail palm and the whiteboard of paradise.

Both of 'em are six foot plants, seven foot, seven foot plants. In the next week or two I'm gonna be bringing them in because of frost. You can separate the plant from the pot and easily carry both of them inside and give 'em a nice, warm spot for the wintertime.

Shannon: Absolutely. And really, even with those type of pots, you don't even need to separate necessarily.

Keith: Exactly. They're light enough to.

Shannon: for a one or two person job.

Keith: Yep. Yeah, you were talking about the bistro sets. And I don't know, it's a folding type chair. I don't know if I'm, if I can destru describe it exactly, but we've got 'em on order now.

We've got a couple of 'em in but they're an old sixties chair. Mm-hmm. That kind of folds up a clam shell type of design. We've got 'em in natural Jude and we've got 'em in black. I love the look of that. It's beautiful. It's Mac May material and MACRA Mays come back in with, of course it has with with hanging house plants and wall hangings and that kind of stuff.

So that's a fun, fun piece of it.

I love

Shannon: the palettes that we're bringing too. The colors of all of this. We've got this soft blue sage, green, matte gray, and a blush color right, that are. On point for the trends. They are,

Keith: and I, we're talking about updating pots and containers, I think updating wall colors. We do it in the store all the time.

, every time we change a set or come up with a new idea we're do, we're changing the backdrop of the color. It's something you can do at your house too. Going out and picking some of these colors that are really, The color of the year or that fits with, the furniture you've got and the new stuff that you're bringing in.

Really update the space. It

Shannon: does, and it's not that you have to revamp and redesign every single thing or change out all of your furniture. You can do it with just a quick little Walt color change or a pot color change. A blanket, a throw, some of. Some of that stuff that we've brought in too has

Keith: been right.

And if you've got a room that's painted white, I just painting one wall in, in the background or two wall...

Next Episode

undefined - Services at the Garden Supply Company

Services at the Garden Supply Company

  1. Keith and Shannon discuss Garden Supply Company's emphasis on customer service and a variety of services outside the garden center.
  2. They tier their services according to customers' specific needs, from landscape consultation to DIY advice.
  3. Garden Supply offers expert plant advice for DIY customers to help them select the best plants for their gardens.
  4. Professional landscape consultations are available to help customers make informed decisions about their property investments.
  5. The company offers a one, two tree program for customers who prefer on-site advice for specific areas of their property.
  6. Garden Supply's delivery fees are reasonable and include a flat fee for truckload deliveries or one or two trees.
  7. The company employs knowledgeable and experienced gardeners who care for the plants, ensuring customers receive healthy plants.
  8. Additional services include repotting, insect problem evaluation, bee and pollinator classes, and bonsai consultations.
  9. Customers can bring in pictures and measurements to get advice from experienced gardeners, especially during slower times to avoid waiting.
  10. Garden Supply's gardeners have diverse backgrounds, including small business owners and avid gardeners with extensive knowledge and experience.

Episode Comments

Generate a badge

Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode

Select type & size
Open dropdown icon
share badge image

<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/in-the-garden-308739/a-flamethrower-on-a-bike-the-origin-of-garden-supply-company-44368159"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to a flamethrower on a bike - the origin of garden supply company on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>

Copy