During the first week of February, a group of farm-market retailers toured local food markets and garden centers in British Columbia (the tour was hosted by the North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association). On our first tour day, we stopped at Cedar Rim Nursery on the first day it opened for the 2016 season.
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Adirondack chairs line the entry walkway
These weather-resistant, high-end chairs greet customers as they walk from the parking lot.
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Cedar Rim Nursery's gift shop
The merchandising theme at Cedar is a combination of rustic and urban. There are a lot of reclaimed items, and corrugated metal lines counters and creates awnings in other parts of the store.
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Clothes creates repeat sales at Cedar Rim
Owner Russ Bruce says selling apparel has helped increase his plant sales due to repeating customers picking up a plants when they come in to look at what's new in clothes.
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A gift nook helps uses all available space
Every store has an area or two that is set off from the main floor by a change in ceiling height, lighting, or building materials. These areas lend themselves to the boutique nature of gift items.
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Complimentary coffee bar
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Color blocking pots
Black seemed to be a popular pot color in British Columbia.
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Greenhouse department at Cedar Rim
Fresh color dominates the greenhouse, even in early February.
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Black benches help highlight plants
Painting benches a dark color make plant colors pop.
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Winter combo gardens brighten things up
Between the attractive containers, the happy flower hues and the interesting textures of the foliage, these winter combo gardens go a long way
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The check outs at Cedar Rim Nursery
The checkouts have suspended ceilings above them to help shade computer screens and to help customers see them from across the greenhouse. They also have generous counter tops that allow plenty of products to be swiped through, speeding up the checkout process.
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The Welcome Bridge
This bridge guides customers to Cedar Rim's nursery department. The Pacific Northwest is home to many different ethnic groups, so saying "Welcome" in so many languages is a lovely touch.
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Nursery department at Cedar Rim
The shrub and tree department is impressively extensive at Cedar Rim. The blue and white block signs act as a key to help customers navigate.
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Weeping blue cedar screen planting
Cedar Rim Nursery specializes in high-end species, like these weeping blue cedars, planted to create a privacy screen.
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Giant animals waiting to be placed
In addition to these animals, a pack of dinosaurs were awaiting spring plant deliveries to be placed throughout the nursery department.
If you ever get to Langley, BC, make sure you add Cedar Rim to your must-see list. Cedar Rim is a grower-retailer that excels in matching its products to its customer base’s lifestyles. And its merchandising is just right for the community.
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“We completely renovated our store to appeal to the younger generation of gardeners,” says manager Amanda Bruce. “We renovated to look more modern, yet still stuck with our farming roots. We incorporated beams and other material from the original barn on the property, which dates back to the early 1900s.”
The garden retailer added clothing to its product mix a few years ago, something that helped boost sales outside of spring, owner Russ Bruce says. In addition to apparel, the store sells a wide array of other lifestyle items.
“We have a wider selection of products than any other nursery in BC,” says Amanda Bruce. “We have a designated Kids Zone with a wide variety of children’s products. We have also expanded our offering of seminars and workshops to appeal to various generations. We expanded our product lines without forgetting that we are still a garden center at heart, and we continue to focus on our outstanding selection.”