November 2007
Merchandiser Of The Year Finalists By Lawn & Garden Retailer

It’s time to vote for this year’s merchandiser of the year! It’s going to be a difficult choice: Each of these three finalists has created a beautiful and engaging garden center with unique displays. This is the first time Lawn & Garden Retailer has sponsored this award. Independent garden centers from across the country submitted their best-merchandised displays, and we’ve narrowed the submissions down to three finalists. These finalists were featured in the April, June and August issues, in no particular order, so that readers could become acquainted with the displays. The results of the vote will be announced in early 2008. And, as this will be an annual contest, be sure to take some good photos of your own displays throughout the year to submit for next year’s competition. Read below for a recap of each finalist’s offering, and see the respective issues of Lawn & Garden Retailer for more photos and details about each entrant, or visit www.lgrmag.com to see the archived articles online.

Village Green Home & Garden

Village Green Home & Garden of Rockford, Ill., presented an engaging holiday display created by staff members using their inventory of props and current merchandise. To create something special from ordinary items, Village Green made a European “village” within the greenhouses that incorporated painted storefronts and specialty shops to offer themed presentations of their products. The goal was to create an all-around sensory experience throughout the store. Because “retail is theater;” all efforts were taken to make the experience complete, and in early November, a customer unveiling offered shoppers the opportunity to take advantage of evening-only discounts while enjoying food, drink and entertainment. Staff members dressed in semiformal attire gave the occasion greater significance. Bright colors, like lime-green- and fuchsia-colored ornaments, were used in some rooms to really make them stand out.

To merchandise off-season products, birdbaths, mulch and fencing were used in displays, showing customers how these products can be used year round and creating more interesting displays. Another shop featured gifts for men in an “Out of Africa” theme. Upholstered chairs with a zebra look created a masculine hunting theme. Displays were intended to be comfortable and homey, so that customers could more easily envision how products will look in their own homes and gain ideas for decorating and gift giving.

Smith’s Acres

Smith’s Acres in Niantic, Conn., offers the unusual combination of a garden center and farmstand — with brilliant results. When making displays, Smith’s Acres incorporates plant material, garden gifts and fresh produce. This could be seen in the tropical-themed display, where a Christmas tree covered with colorful tropical fish ornaments stood next to a kumquat tree with small pink flamingos dancing on its branches. Orange and banana trees grew nearby.

A more serious display was themed in hunter green and Victorian white. A 12-ft. alpine white tree was adorned with several hundred hand-spun glass icicle ornaments and vines of ivy. Christmas greens and a Victorian-style birdhouse made up more of the display, along with decorated old house shutters. Plants are displayed to best show off their colors, such as the bright-red poinsettias set against bright white euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ plants in the Classic Christmas display. This display also included traditional needlepoint stockings and other decorative items, along with a bench (in case Santa needed a rest).

The store incorporated many other displays, all of which were set up in the first week of November. Visitors responded well to Smith’s creativity; there were high sales throughout all the themes, and customers tended to purchase both garden gifts and plants.

Churchill’s

Churchill’s in Exeter, N.H., is a park-like garden center committed to creating a singular shopping experience for customers. Their vignettes incorporate plants, outdoor living accents and garden-inspired home décor. Green products feature the New Hampshire seacoast’s largest selection of annuals, hundreds of species of perennials, roses, ornamental trees and shrubs, herbs and vegetables.

To merchandise displays, Churchill’s tries to keep customer’s personal needs and experiences in mind. Statuary, fountains and custom-designed containers and an extensive pottery collection complement the green products. Outdoor furniture is also available, which enhances the landscape and creates a quiet place to sit. Displays present tasteful garden vignettes, such as a private garden area featuring perennials along a brick and stone path, a tall fountain and a fleur-de-lis arch at the entrance. Another area is based around Asian-inspired plants and is predominately monochromatic. Red and burgundy plants such as Japanese maple and heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’ accent the landscape of gold- and chartreuse-foliage plants. A Zen garden, koi pond and Asian granite elements add more character to the landscape.

Other displays include cozy garden benches surrounded by potted nursery stock, statues and hanging baskets lining a porch. The effect is cozy and inviting. Customers enjoy shopping at Churchill’s, and their high rate of sales even during economic downturns and inclement weather is evidence of their success.

How to Vote

Make your selection for Lawn & Garden Retailer’s first Merchandiser of the Year award with the click of your mouse. Point your browser to www.lgrmag.com/merchandiser, click the button next to the garden center of your choosing and submit your vote.

Results will be automatically tabulated, and we’ll announce the winner after the holiday season wraps up. Keep an eye out in early 2008 for the outcome of this tough competition!