January 2019
The Holidays in Pennsylvania By Abby (Kleckler) McGarry

The 2018 holiday season may be behind us, but these Pennsylvania garden centers have ideas that will have you bookmarking pages and thinking about the 2019 season already.

Feeney’s

Feasterville

1. Feeney’s is a winter wonderland, with Christmas preparations starting in late June each year. 2. Santa visits every day from the Friday after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve. Customers are asked to donate $5 per family, and Feeney’s raised more than $15,000 for the Ronald McDonald House last year. 3. Outside, kids could see alpaca, lambs, Nigerian goats, rabbits and chickens. 4. Inside, there were numerous themes such as the Ski Shoppe, Sweet Shoppe, Irish Shop and more.

Esbenshade’s Garden Centers

Lititz

1. Whimsical displays could be found throughout Esbenshade’s, including these Candy Land-inspired creations in the poinsettia greenhouse. 2. In the greenhouse next door, wooden Christmas trees lined each of the benches, lighting them up. 3. Snowman cutouts drew attention to the cashiers as well as easy last-minute gifts for shoppers, while 4. squirrel cutouts could be found hidden throughout displays.

Mostardi Nursery & Greenhouses

Newton Square

1. Custom creations reigned supreme at Mostardi’s like these birch table accents with corresponding signs letting customers know they’re great for winter gift giving like teacher gifts and hostess gifts. 2. Mostardi’s wreaths, cemetery pieces, urns and planters all utilized various winter greens and décor items. 3. Merchandising to increase add-on sales is just as important in the winter months like these firestarter kits.

The Rhoads Garden

North Wales

1. Old doors, upright or flipped on their sides, provided a theme throughout The Rhoads Garden that tied the greenhouse together for the holidays. 2. Drop-in planters for customers’ already purchased urns were a hot seller during the season, while 3. custom log creations such as “wheelbarrows” and “birdhouses” were not seen elsewhere.

Stauffers of Kissel Hill

Lancaster

1. From far away in the parking lot, shoppers could tell that Stauffers of Kissel Hill was a good stop for the holidays. 2. Inside, every artificial tree was decorated with a theme and given a name, while 3. temporary walls helped create
a number of spaces in an otherwise open room, with wrapping paper providing faux brick or faux wood looks. 4. Outside, small gift items and informative signs were just a few things that caught the eye.

Gasper Home & Garden Showplace

Richboro

1. The indoor furniture and décor department greets shoppers as they walk in the door at Gasper, and it was ready for the holiday. 2. Chalkboard- like signs were seen throughout, some more permanent and others clearly just for the season. 3. Transitioning outdoors, Gasper used every inch of space including over the doors and a walkway down to what it calls the lower level.

Primex Garden Center

Glenside

1. Primex took advantage of their current structures by adding lights that provided holiday flair with minimal work. 2. Holiday picks, berries and pinecones can be a pain to keep in order, but a long wall with multiple baskets made it easy for shoppers to pick exactly what they’d like. 3. The Holiday Grab + Go Gifts section was in transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas with quick options.

Bucks Country Gardens

Doylestown

1. From the store’s façade to the initial entryway, customers could feel they were in a Christmas destination store, 2. with a large gift and home décor area. 3. Signs throughout the garden center highlighted all the seasons’ events, including photos with Santa’s reindeer. 4. A holiday banner placed over the normal truck’s advertising was an easy billboard for the store’s Christmas services.

Bountiful Acres

Holicong

1. Bountiful Acres is small, but they knew how to use every square foot with garlands and tree skirts on the ceiling to small Frasier firs along the outside of the greenhouse. 2. Signs throughout the garden center let customers know the services they provide such as putting up outdoor lighting and decorating indoor trees, tables and mantles. 3. Shoppers could even stop for a popcorn treat as they were browsing.

Ashcombe Farm & Greenhouses

Mechanicsburg

1. Ashcombe used unconventional fixtures throughout the garden center to give character to its displays such as this old stove and home façade. 2. The garden center was also a hot spot leading up to Thanksgiving because the store has a full-service café and bakery that made turkey dinners and lots of pies. 3. Television monitors atop the checkout counters told of holiday events and promotions.

Geerlings Garden Center

New Hope

One word I kept thinking when walking through Geerlings was “sprawling.” 1. They, however, did a great job with creating separate rooms with outdoor furniture, faux fireplaces, rugs and décor. 2. A rotunda inside the greenhouse included two steps up into a coastal Christmas. 3. Other themes included a White Christmas and a Woodland Christmas.