RSS Feeds

Home > News > Steal This Idea

Natureworks Understands The Power Of Edibles

Natureworks has taken a few lessons from the grocery store to promote its popular edibles department. Find out how this Revolutionary 100 retailer connects with its customers through vegetables and herbs.

Goebbert's Embraces The Seasonal Nature Of Garden Centers

Find out how far the garden center goes to remake itself each spring, summer and fall.

Ideas From Revolutionary 100 Retailers

Take a look at these ideas from Revolutionary 100 Garden Centers.

Down To Earth Infuses Its Bird Display With Nostalgic Charm

Birding displays are notorious for being chaotic. Down To Earth Garden Center found a way to tidy up the category while staying true to its 1960s-era visual theme.

Rockledge Gardens' Sets Its Christmas Specials To Music

Check out this humorous video displaying the store's specials and its staff's willingness to play along.

The Practical Side Of The Holidays

Photos of the most pragmatic ideas from GCA's Holiday Tour of Minneapolis.

Make A Fun, How-To Video Customers Will Actually Watch

Watters Garden Center's Ken Lain demonstrates how to prune Russian sage in a humorous, fast video. And more than 3,000 customers have watched it.

A Dressing Room Everyone Will Talk About

Lowe's Greenhouses' adds a new –  very unique – dressing.

Al's Garden Centers Remembers There's A Holiday Between Halloween And Christmas

Most garden centers promote Thanksgiving with only a dispaly or two within the store. See how Al's Garden Centers reaches out to customers for the  most overlooked fall holiday.

Steal This Idea Update: Made In America Holiday Tree

Countryside Gardens' Tish Llaneza shared her idea for a Made In America holiday tree in October's Steal This Idea issue. Check out photos of the completed project.

Plants Unlimited Uses Scarecrows To Raise Money For Charity

Emily Buck explains her store's fundraiser to Coast of Maine's Cameron Bonsey as part of the vendor's Celebrating Independent Garden Centers series.

Use As Many Ways As You Can To Connect With Customers

Caan Floral & Greenhouses' staff talks about how the store reaches its customers through videos, events and by targeting kids.

Give Customers Confidence In Planning Their Gardens

Bemis Farms makes designing a garden bed effortless for its customers with an easy-to-follow recipe.

How To Get The Most From A Custom Container Program

Tagawa Gardens' Beth Zwinak explains how the store is improving its successful container gardening service.

Make Yourself Irresistible To Local Media

Mark Linton of Linton’s Enchanted Gardens shares how he became a standard go-to person for a major local station.

Push Products At Every Event

Countryside Gardens highlights new products with a show and tell segment at each event the store hosts.

Container Ideas From Barlow Flower Farm

Steal these ideas to create expertly designed combination planters.

Merchandising Ideas You Can Use

The two top winners from Proven Winners' store-within-a-store contest share their winning techniques.

Green Walls Set Your Customers And Your Business Apart

Sometimes the best way to reach new customers is to specialize in an entirely new product category. Urban Jungle's Curtis Alexander says green walls are his favorite way to appeal to a new generation that's craving something different.

Steal This Idea [Slideshow]

Take a look at these ideas you can steal for your own business.

Feed Your Vultures

Move unwanted plants using your eMail list.

28 Quick Ideas To Steal

Take a look at these 28 rapid fire ideas that may help you better your business.

Set A Tone - And Price Expectations - Immediately

Give first-time customers a taste of your products and their affordable prices as soon as they enter.

Drive Pet Sales By Welcoming Pets In Store  

Pets can be a great incremental profit center. Appeal to owners by opening up to their furry friends.

Highlight Made In The U.S.A.

American products appeal to your customers. Even at Christmas.

Target The Customers You Want

Don't just wait to see who comes through the door. Decide on the demographic you want and bring them in.

Create Your Own Exclusive Wreath Designs

Using a template to create a limited number of unique wreaths can be a profitable addition to your Christmas shop.

Host a Magical Tea Party For Fairy Garden Fans

Create an event around fairy gardens to appeal to your younger family demographic.

Target Shoppers Not On Your Mail Lists

Cerny’s Greenhouse used a marketing company and a gift card to help it draw new customers.

Rent A Pro

Wallitsch Nursery & Garden Center couldn’t afford to hire a high quality marketing manager, so it used a contract PR pro for a month.

Shop Around For Good Credit Card Fees

Rockledge Gardens found shopping around complicated, but worth the effort.

Build Marketing In Tough Times

Bucks Country Gardens took a hit on coupon deals in order to gain market share.

Hire Mystery Shoppers

L.A. Reynolds uses mystery shoppers to find out its strengths and weaknesses.

Survey Employees To Learn About Problems

Homewood Nursery gave employees a safe way to express their frustrations.

Lookbooks Streamline Buying Trips

Roger's Gardens' buying team never heads to market without them.

Plan Events That Show Off Your Strengths

Tangletown Gardens is unusually engaged in its community, and its events beautifully illustrate that.

A Radio Show Even The Busiest Retailer Can Handle

With a few off-the-shelf gizmos, Ken Lain of Watters Garden Center created a portable recording studio that allows him to record his radio shows on his own time.

Match Your Events To Your Customers

Habersham Gardens caters to an urban customer, so its events match their sophisticated tastes.

Let Customers Pick Their Own Charities

Pork & Plants lets each customer choose who will benefit from its charity weekend promotion.

Reward Customers For Giving You Feedback

A give-and-take may give you more survey responses.

Ideas For The Break Room

This break room is where you can find quick, smart ideas on how to get the most from your staff.

Ideas From Check Out

At the check out, you'll find ways to get the most out of your POS system and your buying trips.

Delhi Flower & Garden Center Hosts A 6 Year Old's Charity Ball

The Butterfly Ball benefits Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, selected by a young customer to honor her younger brother. 

Custom Designs Created At A Client's Home Target Mid-Range Customers

Wallitsch Garden Center offers affordable landscape design services with its "We Plan, You Plant."

Encourage Customers To Buy Two, Display One

If a customer wants a plant but doesn't have the ideal spot in the house for it, what do you do?

Don’t Go Straight To “On Sale”

What to do with slow-selling product.

Promos That Won’t Kill Your Margin

So you're having a big Mother's Day promo -- how do you sell the week before and after?

Perfect Display? Mess It Up

Make pristine works of art, and no one will shop your displays.

Poinsettia Trade-in Program

Here's a way to get people thinking about spring while there's still snow on the ground.

Extra Herbs? Plant A Wall

What to do with leftover plants.