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If you were to start a store...

W

wordwiz

AJ has joked (?) about this but if you were to start a garden store, what would you sell?

This is what I would offer:
Seeds: A listing of seeds that I can provide within a week. It would require setting up accounts with a lot of seed suppliers so they would ship them overnight or within two days.

Seed trays - a nice variety, from six to 36.

Soil - Potting soil, mulch, topsoil, peat

Insecticides - Organic and chemical

Planters - from 3" to 5 gallons

Lights - LED, CFL, Flourescents, HP

Heating Mats

Spray Bottles - from 8 ounces to 2 gallon

Racks - Two, three, four, five shelves

Soil Test Kits, Light Meters

Fertilizers - Organic and chemical

Preservation Goods - dehydrators, bottles, jars, lids, grinders, kitchen utensils such as tongs, colanders, sieves, etc.

Composters - different types

Plastic - includes mylar as well as plastic for the ground

Garden Tools - hoes, rakes, spades, shovels

Fencing - to keep the pests out, also would include things like bobcat or coyote urine and traps

So what else would you suggest I add to my store?

Mike
 
I would add a really cool hydroponic set up with peppers growing in it. Then I would fulfill my dream of building a large carnivorous plant tank with running water, small pond, mini mountain, fog and mist machine and have it as the center piece of the store with by-daily feedings for everyone to see.

Oh ya, and a bar...imagine that. A garden store that has a bar. Imagine how many sales you would get from impulse buys of inebriated people!
 
Iggy,

I completely forgot about the hydroponics side. Thanks,

Not sure about the bar but it might be neat. Add strobe lights, black lights, posters.

I was going to call my business the "Grow Your Own" Garden store.

Mike
 
bentalphanerd said:
A range of sauces & powders, maybe have some fresh herbs growing in pots for sale too.
Food & gardening just go together.
Click to expand...

I would have a room, maybe a 16 x 20 foot area, set up to display growing plants indoors. Everything from seed racks to tomatoes ripening on the vine.

Mike
 
I've dreamed about buying out a stip mall and opening a few stores, one being a 'garden center', a thai restaurant, small one screen movie theater (seating < 50) and if there is room a mix of a coffee shop and martini bar.
 
I'm seriously thinking on opening a small nursery, but the gardening store thing sounds very cool. :)
 
Garden Gnomes, scented candles, Jigsaw puzzles, Goldfish, rabbits, hamsters, budgies and cheap cookery books, all garden centres seem to sell this in the UK. Oh and pic 'n' mix sweets by the exit where you put a small handful in a bag and it ends up costing you about 5 quid.
 
I'm not sure of your location but many garden centres around here in the country are also "feed & seed's" selling lots of animal feed and livestock products.
 
Hey Wiz...seems you have everything covered when you include the recommendations.

What is in my plan is to offer something here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area you can't get. Simply put, a superhot seedling business (AlabamaJacks Exotic Superhots). I will not sell any common peppers at all, just the superhots. You can get common peppers at any gardening center.

I do not want to get into selling the peppers or seeds because of the liability involved. I get such joy from starting the seeds myself and watching them grow. If you figure there are 4 million people (or more) in the DFW area and only 0.01 percent (400 people) of them want superhot seedlings, that will suffice to keep me in business. If I can make about $2000 per year, that will be good. I figure I can bring off at least 1000 seedlings a year. Heck, I brought off over 700 this year.

I haven't finished planning where I will open a shop or IF I will open a shop somewhere. I may just go to the different "traders villages", rent an area and sell from my truck. Actually thought about rigging my truck with all the necessities including racks for the seedlings. I figure it costs me about about one dollar each to bring off a seedling to 8-10 weeks old. I will NOT sell any seedlings before their time and that are not healthy. All I am really looking for is something to offset the cost of my hobby so my hobby doesn't cost me anything once I retire (12 August 2009).
 
well i would say that anyone selling vegetable plants is going to do well over the coming years as our goverments(empire) having our farmers growing more stupid biograde fuel and not planting the crops they did..yup veg plant sales will sore..as they have this year everywhere :)
 
AJ,

Next year, I will have lots of seedlings to sell. Around here, people are paying $2.50-3.00 per plant. I'm not sure how you figure $1 per plant to raise, I figure my costs would be half that - maybe 1/3. (Seed, soil, pot, fertilizer, lighting)

What's really hot in Cincy is knockout Rose Bushes. $25 per plant, though they should come down in a week or two.

If only I could sell my paper or win the lottery!

Mike
 
Very nice store Potawie and I agree with Bent...I would hibernate in there...

Wiz...that $1 includes 34 cents if I have to go to 6" containers and then I will ask another dollar or two for bigger plants. I was thinking of asking $3 for 3" potted plants and $5 for 6" potted plants.

The first year or two will be "testing the market"....
 
Hey WW and AJ,

What about some sort of shade house or that plastic worm thing that Pam had her plants in? Those would be pretty good sellers to people with a bit of land.

With drought pretty bad here, I'd also have sub-surface watering sustems and tanks.
 
I agree with all. People are generally willing to pay a little more for a healthy, large plant than for smaller seedlings. You gotta have the sauces and the pods out on display with small samples of each so people can actually taste before planting (buying).

That pic Potawie posted, on "buddy's" shirt is written "Papa Pimentas" which in Portuguese means "Pepper Daddy"...

Lovin' it! Who's your daddy now!!!:lol:
 
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