01/01/2015
As many of you know, the Garden Arts Fresh Market is no more. As of December 1, 2014, we sold the business to Raj and Sally Patel of Bennington and they will be re-formatting the store as well as renaming it -- "the Manchester Variety Store". Here is the text of a New Year's letter we sent along with photos to 2000 addresses on our email list. If you want to see the full letter, email me at [email protected]
Change is the Only Constant.
In 2012, for strategic reasons, we opened a Farm-to-Table Market in a busy gas station on Route 11/30 - adjacent to our landscape store - in Manchester, Vermont. We wanted to feed the growing interest in locally grown and produced foods; and have a year round indoor business to complement our seasonal outdoor one. We stocked the Garden Arts Fresh Market with delicious local products; including organic and natural meats, cheeses, breads, pastries, wines, beer, more. The new store was different, fun, busy, and sales grew.
Sadly, over the first 18 months, we learned that ongoing labor costs to deal with the myriad of local suppliers - coupled with the necessarily high cost of the foods –would result in a continuing poor economic picture for the enterprise. Sales grew, but accompanying costs were crippling any chance to make a profit. By spring 2014 we concluded that our unique marketing concept would fail unless one was willing to risk large, long-term investments to bring the Market to an uncertain profitability. Time for Plan B!
As we were revising the focus of the Market toward more conventional convenience store stocking, we received an inquiry from Raj Patel, an experienced retail operator from Bennington who wanted to open a new convenience store in Manchester – specifically in a gas station. In this, we saw a chance to return our work focus 100% to our growing landscaping business. And by December 1, 2014, we had a deal. Raj and his lovely wife – Sally - took over.
While a tough one for the Fresh Market, 2014 was a fantastic year for landscaping, fencing, masonry, and our new timber-frame businesses. We rocked! And looking ahead, we are excited about the impressive work we already have for 2015. Our key staff have committed for the new season and freed from the burdens of managing the problematic food business, I’m enthusiastically on the case for what will be our 14th year of creating great stuff for our long list of discriminating clients.
To everyone reading this message, we wish you a happy, healthy, and successful New Year and we thank you for being such an important part of our world. To all of our farmers, food producers, food and beverage vendors, service providers, and market staffers, we thank you for working with us on the Fresh Market project. As we reflect back on the experience, we are glad for every moment and are delighted to have had a chance to do business with you all.
Onwards and upwards. Happy New Year!
Steve and family
