It's also no coincidence the trio turned the retail company around.

In 1991 former chief executive officer Jerry Long and his sons Ken and Mike purchased the retail/landscape operation that sat on 40 acres in Winston-Salem. L.A. Reynolds Garden Showcase had good name recognition, but annual retail sales never topped much more than $500,000, Ken said. By 1994 the landscape division was dropped so the company could concentrate on retail. Sales projections for this year are estimated at $2.9 million.

"We love plants and we consider ourselves to have green thumbs, but the business end is what has led to the turnaround," Ken said.

Jerry took early retirement from R.J. Reynolds in 1988. Ken, who worked in administration, and Mike, who worked in sales and marketing, left the tobacco company, too.

Improving facilities, taking good advice and copying other retailers' successful programs have been keys to prosperity, Ken said.

"When we started here, there was a decent heated and air-conditioned A-frame building that gave us about 2,500 square feet of sales space. We also had a small Jaderloon greenhouse," Ken said.

In 1992, 5,000 square feet was added to the main building and this is now the company's Garden Accents area. Another 5,500 square feet of Jaderloon greenhouses were added for sales of foliage, water garden materials and other assorted hard goods.

In 1995, a 12,000-square-foot Stuppy greenhouse was added for sales of annuals, perennials and herbs. The company quickly outgrew that greenhouse and in 1996, the 25,000-square-foot, open-air Perennial Pavilion was added.

"In 1992 [garden center consultant] Robert Hendrickson predicted color, color, color would be the future. We were smart to listen to him," Ken said. "In 1991, we sold about $25,000 in annuals and $10,000 in perennials. This year we're projecting $350,000 in annuals and $300,000-$350,000 in perennials."

Including roses, color will account for more than $1 million in sales in 1999, Ken said.

Making a setting

One factor leading to increased sales was pure luck, Ken said. When purchased, much of the land surrounding L.A. Reynolds wasn't developed. Now it is surrounded by neighborhoods. Helping attract these neighbors to the store is a 1/3-acre display garden sitting across from the parking lot from the main retail area.

The garden includes a gazebo and a water garden mimicking a natural stream complete with waterfalls.

"We put it in in 1992 for about $50,000, but it has really given us a signature and propelled us. People would say, 'Oh yeah, you're the place with the pretty entrance,'" Ken said. "During the busy spring until June we don't have much time for maintenance like weeding or deadheading. But even when it's looking bad it looks good when you're driving by. Some people might be critical of the limited maintenance we give it during that time, but it's still functional."

This year the Longs also plan to improve the store's 500 feet of roadside space. Most of the evergreen shrubs and about one-third of the turf will be removed and be replaced by annuals, perennials and flowering shrubs such as crape myrtles and viburnums.

"Once again, we're going for color, color, color," Ken said.

More indoor shopping

This summer the Longs are extending the front of the A-frame building into the parking lot area to create a plaza.

"Right now we have checkout in four areas. We want to centralize it to improve traffic flow. We're going to have one way in and one way out," Ken said. "We're cleaning up a lot of the renovations that have taken place in the last 15 years. All have been good ideas and we really don't look mishmashed, but we can better centralize, making things easier for our customers."

Along both sides of the new extension will be shaded, curved walkways creating a courtyard effect. The Longs are trying to mimic Berns Garden Center in Middletown, Ohio, Ken said.

"I don't even think the people in Ohio know we're doing it, but we're calling it the 'Berns concept' internally. We think they do an excellent job with covered walkways and covered shopping," Ken said. "We have a lot of paved [blacktop] surfaces and the heat can be awful, even as early as May. Gravel is cooler, but with that you have weeds, you can't use push carts and women can't shop in heels. There are advantages and disadvantages of both. Hopefully more covered areas will be our answer."

Blooming Bucks

Not all of the Longs' borrowed ideas deal with architecture. In 1998, L.A. Reynolds started a Blooming Bucks program mimicking similar promotions done by Homewood Nursery & Garden Center in Raleigh, N.C., and McDonald Garden Center in Hampton, Va.

From the end of March until Mother's Day in 1998, each customer received one Blooming Buck for each $10 spent. Customers redeemed the Blooming Bucks June 5-20, using them for up to half the price of a product.

"The Blooming Bucks program increased our June sales in 1998 by more than 50 percent," Ken said. "We calculated that the average discounts were only 16 percent. They weren't spending $20 and using 10 Blooming Bucks. They were spending $200 and using 10 Blooming Bucks." The Blooming Bucks went so well that the Longs did a similar Christmas promotion. In September and October, customers received 1 Merry Money that could be redeemed Dec. 4-23. "The Merry Money was successful because it increased fall sales and helped bring in some people that didn't even know that we did Christmas here."

L.A. Reynolds Garden Showcase Founded: In the 1920s as a grower and seller of fruit trees by L.A. Reynolds. Current ownership: Purchased in 1991 by Jerry, Mike and Ken Long. Projected sales in 1999: $2.9 million. Facilities: More than 5,000 square feet of indoor retail space, which will be increased this year. About 20,000 square feet of retail greenhouse space. A 25,000-square-foot Perennial Pavilion. More than 1/3 acre of display gardens. Keys to success: Improving facilities, copying successful retail ideas, joining a retail cooperative, and housing development around the store's location. For more: L.A. Reynolds Garden Showcase, 4400 Styers Ferry Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27104-3335; (336) 945-3776; fax (336) 945-3778.

. © 1999 Branch-Smith Publishing