Business is blooming at both the Bradford and Barrie locations of Bradford Greenhouses Garden Gallery.
The Barrie store opened for walk-ins the weekend of Mothers’ Day, as allowed by the Ontario Government. The opening of the Bradford store was delayed a week because of repairs and planned renovations.
Len Ferragine, Bradford Greenhouses Garden Gallery, said the work for the Bradford location was pre-planned before COVID-19. “It has been in the works for more than a year to upgrade our nursery and to provide our customers with a better shopping experience.”
“Having the nursery closed to the public while the renovations were happening did help though as we were able to expedite the timeline,” he added.
Although walk-ins are now welcome in the Bradford store – respecting all social distancing rules – the final touches on the renovation continue.
Kevin Johnson, manager of the Barrie store, said people lined up almost immediately when word got out the nursery was opening.
“This season I think everyone needs to feel a sense of reassurance or normalcy. Gardening provides that," Johnson said. "Whether its planting a veggie garden to harvest your own food, adding a splash of colour to the front yard or finally tackling the jungle the back yard has become, taking care of the little jobs and enjoying the fruits of your labour is a welcome feeling in this crazy time I think everyone can use.”
Customers expressed to BradfordToday their appreciation of coming in person to shop and to select individual plants that speak to them.
Tracie May and her husband Peter were happy to get out and to pick plants for themselves, saying, “When it comes to plants you want your opinion on them. Someone can say, 'Oh, I like this one', but you like that one because of the way it looks. Plants are a little more personal than just having somebody else pick them out for you. You can’t tell online what the colours are. It’s really nice to be able to see them, touch them and smell them when you are shopping.”
This personal shopping also helps sales.
“While our online sales have been very strong since our launch, the volume we can handle is far less than the volume of customers we can accommodate in the store even with the strict distancing protocols we are following," Johnson said. "Plus due to the lines naturally found in garden centres in spring, the people coming in store are buying more on a single visit than what we’ve seen in years past.”
Up until now, this spring has been cool. Poor weather is nothing new for the industry, and nurseries never know if weather will be a positive or negative.
“This year the real issue has been the impact of COVID-19 and the uncertainty it brings," Johnson said. "The staff had to adapt quickly to strict preventative measures and develop and execute alternative methods of sale in the busiest time of year. Spring for garden centres is a naturally stressful time of year but when compounded with the rapidly changing environment COVID-19 brings, it is definitely a season we wont forget.”
Bradford Greenhouses Garden Gallery is family owned and operated for more than 30 years. Both stores are currently open to walk-in traffic seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (one family member per household).
Rosaleen Egan is a freelance journalist, storyteller, and playwright. She blogs on her website.
