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I have fond childhood memories of a rural feed store that's long been out of business. Heck, the entire town where the store was located no longer exists.

Watsonville wasn't an official town -- more of a stretch of State Highway 157 in unincorporated Tarrant County, Texas. The entire area has now been sucked up and annexed by suburbia.

But in its prime, the Watsonville Feed Store was a proud business. It was a typical feed/supply store. It had a gas pump, and I'd get a Big Red soda just about every time I went.

But just as much of a place of commerce, it was a meeting place for the locals. It wasn't hard to find a domino or checkers game in progress there. I think half the time my dad took me there was just to get away from the house.

Does this sound like your landscape distribution center? Do you provide coffee for landscapers and have a message board that they can use? Do you see customers mingling around talking, even after their orders are pulled and ready to go?

Granted, not every LDC wants, or has the facilities to be, the local hangout for landscapers. They need to get these customers serviced and out the door.

But for others, providing a place to chew the cud is part of the charm. It's a reason why landscapers choose them over competitors. After all, if your store is a place where landscapers enjoy spending time, don't you think they'll come back more often?

Steve Taber, owner of Southwest Landscape Nursery in Carrollton, Texas, considers his LDC an "office away from the office" for his customers. Perhaps you should do the same.

Consider designating a space where clients can sit, check e-mails or make client calls while orders are pulled. If you don't have room, maybe you should build a separate, small facility.

Put in air conditioning and comfortable chairs. Put up a dartboard and install vending machines. I wouldn't recommend a pool table. The attraction would be too much and you'd never be able to keep your employees out of there.

Me? I'm off to find Big Red soda.

. . © 2004 Branch-Smith Publishing