This message was forwarded to me at work.
FROM LIBBY RICH, OWNER OF PLANT ODYSSEY - BOTTOM LINE - PRICES ARE SLASHED AND LIBBY NEEDS THE COMMUNITY'S HELP TO STAY IN BUSINESS
Effective immediately, all plants, pots and decorative accessories at the Plant Odyssey Nursery are 50% off. The inventory at Plant Odyssey is 20% off.
It is very difficult for me to write this letter, but it has to be done.I need your help.
On February 2 of this year, the banker who had been assigned my account called and demanded a meeting. The banker, who will remain unnamed, brought his assistant to my office at Plant Odyssey. What followed was a nightmare for me. He stated it was evident that my company was failing, and the bank would no longer give me overdraft protection. His recommendation was that I liquidate my inventory, sell the property, pay the bank what I could, and get a job to pay off the remaining debt. I tried explaining to him that yes, my business was in trouble, but I had made it so far and that with the approach of spring, I was confident I could turn it around. He was unyielding, and he listed my mistakes: my stores remained in an area that could not sustain my business; I expanded (opening Plant Odyssey Nursery) when I shouldn't have; and finally I guaranteed the nursery with Plant Odyssey's assets.
When I asked for a temporary loan, he remarked that the bank would not throw good money after bad. I sat stunned and horrified, listening, unable to believe this was happening. I called my husband and asked him to sit in on this meeting. I spent the time until his arrival walking the bankers through my store and nursery, pointing out the inventory, its great beauty, and extensive selection. The assistant, quiet until then, said I would be a wealthy woman had I just moved my businesses Over the Mountain. When my husband Joe arrived, he loaned me enough money to get me through till spring. The bankers said that on June 15, we would meet again to discuss the future of Plant Odyssey and Plant Odyssey Nursery. They see the impending doom of my stores as just another casualty -- a small neighborhood business succumbing to the giants. They do not care about my being a fixture on Birmingham's Southside; they do not care that I am a highly respected professional in my field. Their decision is based strictly on the numbers. That date approaches and while I have made great strides, it hasn't been enough.
Because I believed in the success of the nursery, I invested all my personal assets, but I am tapped out. When I started doing consultations at peoples homes and then installations, it looked as though it would be enough to keep the nursery open, and it still can. Two or three jobs a week would be all that I need. I had depended on strong weekends to pull out of debt, but instead my piece of the pie got even smaller. I saw my sales cut in half on the two weekends Pike Nursery opened. I do not want the bank to be right (the understatement of the year), but unless I come up with a substantial amount of money, the bank will call the note and Plant Odyssey and Plant Odyssey Nursery will be history. If I have ever helped you in the past, please help me now.
If you can't buy anything, would you please tell a friend? Better yet, forward this email to everyone you know.
Here are our locations so they will know where we are.
Plant Odyssey is at 2912 6th Avenue South. Plant Odyssey Nursery is around the corner and two blocks down at 2900 4th Avenue South.
Effective immediately, all plants, pots and decorative accessories at the Plant Odyssey Nursery are 50% off. The inventory at Plant Odyssey is 20% off. If anyone is interested in a consultation or an installation, please call for an appointment (324-0566). The charge for an on-site visit is $100.
I believe what I do is worthy and that with your help, I can save the stores. I would be grateful to see you in the next two weeks.
Libby
FROM LIBBY RICH, OWNER OF PLANT ODYSSEY - BOTTOM LINE - PRICES ARE SLASHED AND LIBBY NEEDS THE COMMUNITY'S HELP TO STAY IN BUSINESS
Effective immediately, all plants, pots and decorative accessories at the Plant Odyssey Nursery are 50% off. The inventory at Plant Odyssey is 20% off.
Mimi_Carol
tedevore
Related Professionals
Ballenger Creek Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Essex Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Athens Landscape Contractors · Bristol Landscape Contractors · Cary Landscape Contractors · Clayton Landscape Contractors · Dedham Landscape Contractors · Fridley Landscape Contractors · Gurnee Landscape Contractors · Hurricane Landscape Contractors · Lake Zurich Landscape Contractors · University City Landscape Contractors · Norridge Landscape Contractors · Suisun City Landscape Contractors · Chesterfield Siding & Exteriorsalex_z7
ourhighlandhome
roseyp8255
Dave_from_the_Hills
Mimi_Carol
outsideplaying_gw
alex_z7
tedevore
alex_z7
AlaButterfly
tweetypye
mygarden_my_peace
alex_z7
newdawn1895