Management
Ashcombe Farm and Greenhouses Celebrates 60 Years
Ashcombe Farm and Greenhouses, a long-standing establishment in the heart of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, recently announced it is celebrating its 60th spring in business. This independent garden center is a local favorite with loyal customers and... more »
Retailers Say Small Businesses Hardest Hit by Rising Credit Card Swipe Fees
The National Retail Federation (NRF) and a group of small retailers told Congress small businesses are the hardest hit by high credit card “swipe” fees that are driving up inflation and that they want to... more »
Your Brand, Your Identity
One of my all-time favorite authors was Theodor Seuss Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Seuss; I avidly read his books as a young reader, then read them to my five younger siblings, my own... more »
Leveraging Technology to Fertilize Growth
Running a garden retail business in today’s unpredictable environment can be daunting, but the right software tools can make growing your business a simpler and surer path. Small business owners often have many roles; the... more »
Darwinism Versus 2022
One of the philosophies that the noted English naturalist Charles Darwin was known for was “the survival of the fittest.” Most people are familiar with this notion as it applies to natural evolution; the strongest... more »
It Takes People, People!
I’ve mentioned in past columns that what has the biggest impact on your customers’ experience and your brand image isn’t your advertising and marketing, your product, your displays or your pricing; it’s the lowest-paid members... more »
Who’s Driving Your Bus?
Who’s driving your bus? It’s a fairly straightforward question that most of you would answer, ‘I am!” After all, it’s your store and you get to set the rules, you get to select the merchandise... more »
Creating a ‘Wow’ Experience for Your Customers
Recently I was driving with my 5-year-old grandson down to a Minnesota state park, where they have free-roaming bison you can sometimes see from an unprotected road running through the park. He’d been talking about... more »
It’s All About Making Choices
The fall months are filled with both reflection on what transpired in the peak months of last spring and early fall, and looking forward with anticipation as we begin thinking about 2022. And it’s difficult... more »
Keeping Your Brand Fresh
I recently came across a fairly succinct definition of a brand: “The intangible sum of a retailer or product’s attributes: its name, packaging and price positioning, its history, its reputation, and the way it’s advertised.”... more »
Raising the Bar
While we may have thought the growth seen in 2020 was an anomaly, indications so far point to continued growth for 2021. With more Garden Center Group members reporting in our weekly department review (WDR),... more »
Is Zookeeper Part of Your Job Description?
I had a sign that read, “My Office is Not a Zoo!” mounted by the entrance to my office when I worked for many years in retail buying, merchandising and marketing. Most people thought this... more »
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News
April 26, 2024
Monrovia releases Weekend Project Guide for home gardeners
April 24, 2024
Teachers to take field trip to explore horticulture
April 23, 2024
