By Marie Bradby
An avid gardener, Cheryl Susemichel would brand a nearly two-hour drive to the quondam Smith & Hawken garden store inwards Cincinnati to purchase tools she craved. She traveled 200 miles roundtrip to purchase professional person pruners, a European hoe, too authentic waterproof Wellies.
“Those are iii things a gardener has to have,” Cheryl says. “If you lot don’t conduct hold the correct tool when you lot leave of absence inwards your yard, it’s frustrating.”
As she was traveling, she thought, “We demand something similar this inwards Louisville.” The reckon stuck, too inwards 1996, Cheryl institute herself on the other side of the retail counter.
“When I started the Secret Garden, in that location was no identify inwards Louisville where you lot could purchase high-quality tools,” she says. “There weren’t many pieces of fine art to decorate your yard with, other than some niggling trinkets.”
She already had trouble organization experience. “I had been inwards sales, but gardening was my passion,” says Cheryl, who owned a trouble organization forms companionship where she sold such items every bit estimator checks, estimator paper, invoices, too receipts. But her view was inwards her yard — her shade garden, her ferns, her roses, her raised organic vegetable beds.
Cheryl started the Secret Garden inwards Crestwood too has moved iv times every bit her trouble organization has grown. In February, she moved to Middletown too is immediately located inwards the Eastgate Shopping Center. “Every fourth dimension I moved, it’s been to a larger place,” she says. “This time, I nearly doubled the size I had at Westport Village from 2,500 foursquare feet to 5,000.”
The store offers non exclusively gardening tools too container pots, but indoor too outdoor dwelling family decor every bit good every bit gifts too garden plants. Cheryl bought i of the quondam Thienman greenhouses too plans to offering locally grown plants adjacent year. “I’m going to endeavor to grow things that you lot don’t meet inwards Louisville,” she says. “I wishing to examination things. How does it hold off inwards Louisville? I honey hydrangeas. I wishing to grow those that you lot can’t discovery here. I wishing to state to my customers, ‘Guess what I’ve got!’”
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 m foursquare feet of the novel infinite is devoted to 28-year-old immature adult woman Stephanie Susemichel’s novel vesture too accessories boutique, Magnolia too Fig. “She’s wanted to conduct hold her ain store since she was a teenager,” Cheryl says. Cheryl’s 26-year-old immature adult woman Emily also helps out yesteryear keeping the books, managing the website, too working inwards the store.
“The Secret Garden is the mothership,” Cheryl says. “Someday when I’m laid upwardly to retire, they volition conduct hold an opportunity, if they thence desire, to purchase the store from me. Life is besides brusk to create a project you lot hate. You demand a project that you lot relish every day.”
Cheryl’s keys to staying inwards trouble organization for twenty years:
Recipes:
Homemade Hummingbird Nectar
Use 4 parts warm H2O to 1 business office sugar. Stir until dissolved. Do non add together crimson dye. Refrigerate the extra.
Organic Weed Killer
1 gallon white vinegar
1/2 loving cup common salt (regular tabular array salt)
1/2 loving cup Dawn liquid dish soap
Mix good too lay into a sprayer. This volition kill whatever you lot spray, thence live careful non to acquire it on plants that aren’t weeds.
Will you lot live planting anything this summer? What volition it be? Sumber http://www.todayswomannow.com/
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| Taking fourth dimension to figure out what customers similar has contributed to the success of Cheryl's Susemichel's store. Customers tin give the sack purchase gardening tools, plants too other decorative items. Here, she displays a recent shipment of plants she has received. Photos yesteryear Melissa Donald |
An avid gardener, Cheryl Susemichel would brand a nearly two-hour drive to the quondam Smith & Hawken garden store inwards Cincinnati to purchase tools she craved. She traveled 200 miles roundtrip to purchase professional person pruners, a European hoe, too authentic waterproof Wellies.
“Those are iii things a gardener has to have,” Cheryl says. “If you lot don’t conduct hold the correct tool when you lot leave of absence inwards your yard, it’s frustrating.”
As she was traveling, she thought, “We demand something similar this inwards Louisville.” The reckon stuck, too inwards 1996, Cheryl institute herself on the other side of the retail counter.
“When I started the Secret Garden, in that location was no identify inwards Louisville where you lot could purchase high-quality tools,” she says. “There weren’t many pieces of fine art to decorate your yard with, other than some niggling trinkets.”
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| Selling high character gardening tools is the cornerstone of Cheryl's business. Photo on right: The Gardner's Hollow Leg is a handbag that is worn or thence the waist for weeding or collecting herbs too vegetables inwards the garden. These are available inwards 2 sizes. |
She already had trouble organization experience. “I had been inwards sales, but gardening was my passion,” says Cheryl, who owned a trouble organization forms companionship where she sold such items every bit estimator checks, estimator paper, invoices, too receipts. But her view was inwards her yard — her shade garden, her ferns, her roses, her raised organic vegetable beds.
 |
| Cheryl stays on superlative of her customer's needs too constantly looks for ways of increasing the business' visibility. |
Cheryl started the Secret Garden inwards Crestwood too has moved iv times every bit her trouble organization has grown. In February, she moved to Middletown too is immediately located inwards the Eastgate Shopping Center. “Every fourth dimension I moved, it’s been to a larger place,” she says. “This time, I nearly doubled the size I had at Westport Village from 2,500 foursquare feet to 5,000.”
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| These are a few of Cheryl's almost pop yard items. (L-R) Painted Peace fine art poles made yesteryear Studio-M. The poles are weather-resistant; benches too outdoor pillows; the Art Planters also made yesteryear Studio-M are weather-resistant. |
The store offers non exclusively gardening tools too container pots, but indoor too outdoor dwelling family decor every bit good every bit gifts too garden plants. Cheryl bought i of the quondam Thienman greenhouses too plans to offering locally grown plants adjacent year. “I’m going to endeavor to grow things that you lot don’t meet inwards Louisville,” she says. “I wishing to examination things. How does it hold off inwards Louisville? I honey hydrangeas. I wishing to grow those that you lot can’t discovery here. I wishing to state to my customers, ‘Guess what I’ve got!’”
 |
| After purchasing their gardening supplies, customers also conduct hold the convenience of shopping for clothe at Magnolia too Fig -- a boutique owned yesteryear Cheryl's 2 daughters. You tin give the sack acquire into the store from within The Secret Garden. |
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 m foursquare feet of the novel infinite is devoted to 28-year-old immature adult woman Stephanie Susemichel’s novel vesture too accessories boutique, Magnolia too Fig. “She’s wanted to conduct hold her ain store since she was a teenager,” Cheryl says. Cheryl’s 26-year-old immature adult woman Emily also helps out yesteryear keeping the books, managing the website, too working inwards the store.
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| Cheryl likes selling items that are made inwards the US too are created using recycled materials. (L-R) The Mad Hats are made inwards Republic of Republic of India from recycled plastic. The reversible hats are extremely durable too tightly woven; Blown drinking glass lawn ornaments. Some are solar powered too low-cal upwardly at night; Fountains too birdbaths |
“The Secret Garden is the mothership,” Cheryl says. “Someday when I’m laid upwardly to retire, they volition conduct hold an opportunity, if they thence desire, to purchase the store from me. Life is besides brusk to create a project you lot hate. You demand a project that you lot relish every day.”
 |
| (L-R) These are a few to a greater extent than items from Cheryl's store: Tula hats to protect you lot from the sun; garden tags; metallic outdoor wall fine art made inwards Cary, North Carolina. |
Cheryl’s keys to staying inwards trouble organization for twenty years:
- Do constant query for products, otherwise, you lot won’t survive. I scoured magazines, particularly Southern Living, to acquire ideas on what to purchase to stock the store. I also chop-chop learned what to offering from customers. They would say: ‘Do you lot conduct hold buckets to get together clippings inwards that you lot tin give the sack sit down on?’ Customers helped me through the early on years yesteryear bespeak for what they were looking for.
- Stay ahead of the competition. I stock things that are exclusive to me. If large box stores starting fourth dimension carrying what you lot have, allow it go.
- Be patient inwards economical downturns. I endeavor to come upwardly up alongside ideas to proceed people coming inwards here. We learn classes. It doesn’t terms a lot of money. It helps my customers decorate their homes too conduct hold aid of their gardens. During times similar the recession of 2008, you lot don’t pay yourself at all. You simply conduct hold to say, ‘This is a tough fourth dimension correct now, too I’m going to acquire through it.’
- It’s of import to pay your bills. Pay your vendors too proceed your credit good. When you lot telephone phone upwardly that vendor to order, you lot volition acquire your product.
- Cut dorsum inwards tough months when bigger bills come upwardly in. I know people who haven’t made it because they got inwards means over their heads. They didn’t pay attending to what they were spending coin on.
- Hire the correct people. The incorrect somebody inwards your store tin give the sack totally ruin your business. Be willing to allow acquire of the incorrect ones. Never hire your friends.
- Your go is NEVER done! Eight-hour days don’t be for a store owner.
- Make God your CEO.
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| Cheryl sells natural too organic items. (L-R) Amazon Lights made from essential oils; organic garden too outdoor items which include põrnikas repellents too fertilizers. |
Recipes:
Homemade Hummingbird Nectar
Use 4 parts warm H2O to 1 business office sugar. Stir until dissolved. Do non add together crimson dye. Refrigerate the extra.
Organic Weed Killer
1 gallon white vinegar
1/2 loving cup common salt (regular tabular array salt)
1/2 loving cup Dawn liquid dish soap
Mix good too lay into a sprayer. This volition kill whatever you lot spray, thence live careful non to acquire it on plants that aren’t weeds.
Will you lot live planting anything this summer? What volition it be? Sumber http://www.todayswomannow.com/