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CUSTOMERS UNDER COVER Green Profit July, 2007

When Petitti Garden Centers opened their newest store on the West side of Cleveland, they worked with Cravo to cover the entire outdoor shopping area.

Green Profit visited the brand new Petitti Garden Center in Avon, Ohio on a drizzly Saturday morning this spring and witnessed a rare rainy-day garden center phenomenon-customers outside filling their carts with plants. The reason for this was quickly evident. They were shopping under cover, out of the elements. We caught up with Cravo's CEO Richard Vollebregt and Petitti's own A.J. Petitti to find out some of the details about the new project and to find out how consumers are reacting so far this spring.
   
  This article was published in the July 2007 issue of Green Profit.
Subscription information can be found at http://www.greenprofit.com
 
 
   
  Cravo featured in... September 8, 2005
   
  Retail news from inside and outside the green industry
September 8, 2005 - Volume 1 Number 5
   
  Al’s Garden Center—Sherwood, Oregon A couple months ago, I had the opportunity to visit the newest Bachman's store in Minneapolis, and now I got to check out the new Al's store-what a job! Open for just a couple weeks, the new Sherwood store is a dream garden center. As I drove down a hill or mountain (either way, it was significant elevation for this Cleveland boy), I saw the greenhouses and a huge nursery facility sprawling out ahead of me. It really was a spectacular sight. I learned later that Al's did not own the nursery, though it definitely adds to the horticultural ambience of the surroundings.

The garden center is set on just over 10 acres with 70,000 sq. ft. of covered shopping. The structure is a Cravo retractable roof, and the roof and sides can be opened up to allow natural airflow at the flip of a switch. Al's director of marketing, Lora Keddie, who gave me a tour of the new facility, explained the retractable-roof structure provides the best environment for plants and people. And at Al's, it's all about the plants and people. All of the employees I talked to seemed genuinely happy to be there, and they were quick to answer questions and talk about the new store.

Unique to this new location were trial gardens (inside the greenhouse) that showcased plants the way they would look at a customer's house or apartment. Blooming baskets and containers, as well as mixed beds and specimen plants were arranged in an almost Disney-like way, sure to inspire gardeners and increase sales. Each variety and combo was labeled, and when customers visit the trials, they're encouraged to tag the variety they like best. The winners, so far? Lantana Landmark Rose Glow from Ball FloraPlant, Al's own heliotrope and crossandra Orange Marmalade from The Flower Fields.

I could go on and on about the new Al's store, so watch future issues of Green Profit for more about my visit.
   
 
   
 
   
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