CNGA LooseLeaf August/September 2018

colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf  August/September 2018 “We make sure that the store looks like fall with decorating ideas, so in customers’ minds, we are one of the go-to places of the season,” Kelson explained. “We do a lively business in corn husks, straw, pumpkins, and other decorations. After all, Halloween is the second most popular holiday for decorating.” Jared’s provides plenty of activities and reasons to hang out, from food trucks and a band to corn hole games and a straw maze. Around 4 o’clock, if weather conditions permit, an area of the parking lot is cleared and a crane operator drops pumpkins. “Our property’s not big enough to catapult them, but the pumpkin pieces still fly when they hit the ground,” she said. If the haunted houses are set up in time, they open up on that day. “Our nursery staff does an awesome job of putting together a free children’s haunted house out of half of a greenhouse, and it is open during our business hours,” she said. After hours, a “very adult and very scary” haunted house with smoke machines, scary noises and live actors is operated by an entrepreneur who leases the space from Jared’s. “He used to run a haunted house at the former Heritage Square amusement park, but when ownership changed there, he approached us about converting our greenhouses, which were vacant in October. We are a perfect location because we have a lot of acreage (25 acres) and lots of parking,” she explained. Also in October, the nursery hosts many schools, preschools and other groups that come in to take advantage of the fall activities from decoration-making stations to corncob pits. Moms also enjoy coming in with their toddlers to enjoy an hour among the festive displays. The gift store, which rotates seasonal and holiday displays year-round, does a brisk business. Kelson estimates sales are split equally, half and half, between plants and other products during this time. “Originally, we were hoping the pumpkin weigh-off would bring people in a little earlier to start seeing what we had for Halloween decorating. For a few years, we did not see so much benefit on the day. It’s very hard to track whether customers remember what we have to offer and come back, but we always believed the fall events increased customer loyalty as well as bringing in new customers,” she said. “Now, they are actually shopping. They take a break from watching pumpkins. Kids are wandering through the store, seeing the Halloween decorations and peeking behind the scenes to see the start of our Christmas holiday displays and products. So, we are seeing an uptick in sales on that day and definitely an uptick the rest of the season.” More Fall Fun Ideas: Echter’s Garden Center Quilt Show By Harriett McMillan, CCNP Echter’s Garden Center Horticultural Specialist Echter’s Garden Center in Arvada partners with the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum for an annual display of quilts in early October. The display has been a regular event at Echter’s since 2008, and the partnership with the museum has strengthened over the years, providing a colorful event for the garden center that is easily managed by staff and enjoyed by customers. The museum solicits the entries for the display, and the garden center usually hangs from 50 to 65 individual quilts that range in size from very small to very large. By the end of September, the annual display area is relatively emptied of plants and allows the space for the quilts. The display is set up on Thursday, opens for public display on Friday and continues on Saturday and Sunday. The entries are labeled and ballots are provided for viewers to vote for their favorite quilts. There are usually around 300 to 350 ballots to count on Monday morning after the event. Winners are chosen and Echter’s provides $50 gift cards to the top vote-getters in small, medium and large quilt categories. This year’s quilt show at Echter’s is scheduled for Friday, October 5 through Sunday, October 7. “It’s very hard to track whether customers remember what we have to offer and come back, but we always believed the fall events increased customer loyalty as well as bringing in new customers.” 17 Photo courtesy of Echter’s Garden Center