Brian Bauman Shares Ideas And Successes From Bauman Farm
Take a visual tour through Bauman Farm & Gardens in Gervais, OR, with input from its general manager, Brian Bauman.
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The Bauman Farm image gets reinforced on the road
"Developing a strong message and consistent visual branding has been an ongoing project at Bauman's," says General Manager Brian Bauman. "The red barn that we started the store in 30 years ago has a strong visual connection for our customers."
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Bauman Farm & Garden's original barn
"In this image you get a good picture of the barn and also the new signage that ties into the truck design," Bauman says.
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Setting the tone before coming in the door
In case customers were uncertain that they were shopping at a working farm, Bauman Farm has old tractors and harvestors on display in the parking lot and shopping cart areas.
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Teepee and fort play area
"As a destination, we try and have fun things for the whole family to do," Bauman says. "Since we are 30 miles from Portland — and really 15 miles away from our closest town that we pull from — we want people to spend the day with us. Providing all of these activities really helps."
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Play area for young children
Bauman Farm has many attractions for children, from this colorful play area to a bouncing pillow.
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Slide building and climbing wall
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Gorgeous succulent displays
"Succulents are a big and growing category for us, and we are making a big push in that direction," Bauman says.
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Walkway surrounded with colorful baskets
"At our core, we are known as a color nursery. And while we work to expand our nursery offerings beyond color, we also work hard to maintain a strong appeal to our customers for what we do best: hanging baskets and other color products," Bauman says.
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Parking lot plantings offer a colorful welcome to customers
"We completely redesigned our parking lot this last march," Bauman says. "Here, you can see more examples of our hanging baskets, which is our No. 1 product, and they're all grown onsite."
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Roof line plantings transform a greenhouse
"Another example of taking every opportunity to showcase what we do best," Bauman says.
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Berries and fruit in the farm market division
"The nursery is just one component of what we do at the farm," Bauman says. "We have 350 acres of farm land, and 90% of that production is sold through our store. We are trying to redefine what it means to be local. It's a lot more than just being the same state or fruit that's within a week of being picked. Our produce is picked just feet away from the store, and it's picked fresh daily."
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Bauman now sells hard cider
"The hard cider is a joint venture with another family member. It has been a huge success and we have just started to tap its potential. The industry pulls very well with the younger generation and young professionals with small families," Bauman says.
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Serving from the hard cider bar
Barb Bauman (on right) and the Bauman family brought in an employee (on the left) to work the Hard Cider counter on the weekends.
"It was a new position for us but one that has paid off a lot," Brain Bauman says. -
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A kitchen view from the bakery counter
"It's amazing what the smell of fresh baked goods does to the feeling customers get when they walk into our store," Bauman says. "It's all a part of that destination appeal, and also working hard to maximize the dollars each customer spends while onsite."
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The endless appeal of animals
"We are a destination garden center. We pull customers from a 30 mile radius, which includes Portland. Our customers love coming to a working farm and being apart of the farming life which includes farm animals, seeing the trucks and tractors pull in with fresh veggies just picked," Bauman says.
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Another animal ready for attention
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Nursery displays sit on the old parking lot
"This is a good example of what reworking our parking has allowed us to do," Bauman says. "We have made a significant jump into being more than just an annual color nursery. With sales in nursery stock up over 30% this year, it is clear that we are heading in the right direction."
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Cross merchandising is a priority
"Our staff is working on tie-in and add-on displays," Bauman says.
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Benches in the greenhouse
"We work hard to have good aisle space and appealing endcaps," Bauman says. "And our staff all in red shirts makes it easy for customers to find help when they need it."
View all
The Bauman Farm image gets reinforced on the road
Bauman Farm & Garden's original barn
Setting the tone before coming in the door
Teepee and fort play area
Play area for young children
Slide building and climbing wall
Gorgeous succulent displays
Walkway surrounded with colorful baskets
Parking lot plantings offer a colorful welcome to customers
Roof line plantings transform a greenhouse
Berries and fruit in the farm market division
Bauman now sells hard cider
Serving from the hard cider bar
A kitchen view from the bakery counter
The endless appeal of animals
Another animal ready for attention
Nursery displays sit on the old parking lot
Cross merchandising is a priority
Benches in the greenhouse
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Carol Miller is editor of Today's Garden Center. You can eMail her at [email protected]. See all author stories here.