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luddy_nw_ohio

What if someone said

Luddy_NW_Ohio
19 years ago

that they would like to rent out a remodeled garden center with a 20 by 30 greenhouse with a store front (the store being 30 by 30) and there is an open perennial area. The business is on a road frontage on a busy highway with good parking area. There is no heat in the buildings but it can be heated with natural gas, access quite close. How enthusiastic would you be for a situation like this? I own the property and am interested in renting it out but am not sure if there would be people interested in a situation like this, do I contact other garden center owners in towns around me? they could set up an extension of their present business? I have tried to run the business for the last five years (not good seasons, 4 months each) but don't have the time and employees that want to invest in learning about care of plants. I sold annual flats, hanging baskets and some perennials. I am thinking of renting the business buildings out in a rural small town, what do you think?

Comments (2)

  • hoe_hoe_hoe
    19 years ago

    If you don't have the time to run the business yourself, what do you possibly have to lose? Unless you are thinking of selling. Decide how much rent you need to make owning the property worth your while and advertise. Also, you may have a certain affection for the garden center idea, but don't close yourself off to the possibility that someone would want to run a different type of business there. If you can take down the greenhouse structure, advertise your flexibility. If you think at somepoint you will have more interest in the nursery business again, it may almost be better to have a different type business there. What if the renters business fails. "Under New Management" signs don't go a long way in erasing the memory of lousy selection, service, or an obviously floundering business in my opinion. Better to bring in a dog groomer, for instance, and when they move on you can truly start anew. A nurseryman also might be interested in knowing what type of profits you have made. If your heart hasn't been in it, you may want for bargaining power. Are you prepared to list off your shortcomings and hope they don't spark off doubts within that perspective businessperson, i.e. will I be able to find employees that want to invest in learning about plants?

  • calliope
    19 years ago

    It would not surpise me to see some takers, but expect those types who have a little back yard business, and want to make the next jump up, without risking a lot of capitol in the structures and equipment. Nothing at all wrong with that, btw.

    I do not think a 20 x 30 greenhouse is very appetising, however, for anything but a rather small holding house for buying in somebody else's already grown annuals. I really believe it wouldn't be worth throwing anything but emergency heat to for keeping the frost off during bedding plant season. You couldn't grow enough in one to make the investment of heating it pay you back for the effort in anything but transitional selling seasons. I see it more as a road-side multipurpose market. Fruit/eggs/farm products and plants as a side-line. I know somebody who has almost exactly the same set-up and do a thriving business, but they are farmers who do some bedding plants on the side.

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