How Garden Retailers Attract Customers For Halloween

If you think about it, Halloween and garden centers are a natural fit. Halloween is an especially community-oriented holiday, which parents taking children to neighbors homes to trick or treat. A local business which has been around for decades they way most garden centers have been makes it as familiar as anyone else in town. Throw in the plant yard and its abundant space, and you have an advantage over most businesses in attracting customers to your store.

Here are several ways garden centers have refined attracting customers during the spookiest time of the year, from old-fashioned story telling to parties to kid-friendly mazes.

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pumpkin queen story sizeGiant Pumpkin Festival Draws A Crowd Larger Than A Town’s Population

A few years ago, Buzz Pinkham had about 100 giant pumpkin starts in his greenhouse that he gave away to customers to try to grow. He coached them over the season and had a weigh in at the end of harvest. But that humble start was too mild for the garden retailer. He launched a festival to celebrate giant pumpkins that is perhaps the zanniest fall festival in the country. It includes the expected, from weigh ins and decorated pumpkins, but it also include a large parade and the biggest draw of all: a regatta. Participants from through New England carve their giant pumpkins to water-tight boats they can race. There are a few different divisions racers can enter, including the outboard motor race. The Bangor Daily News took several funny and charming photos of this year festival you should check out.

Tom Davis Garden Center Is An Irresistible Draw For Young Children

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There are a lot of different ways to interpret Halloween. Tom Davis Garden Center in Bridgeport, West Virginia, chooses to concentrate on creating a fun and spooky time for small children. The hay maze has mild scares that younger children can handle. The best thing the garden retailer offers is the fantastic story telling sessions, which relies on the considerable talents of one man. Take a look at the news report from WDTV.

Pooches & Pumpkins Appeals To Both Animal Lovers And ChildrenPooch & Pumpkin dog

The Good Earth Garden Center in Little Rock, Ark., hosts an event that allows customers to indulge in both a love of the holiday and their dogs. Customers and dogs attend in costume and get to listen to live music, have their faces painted, go on hayrides, show off their carving skills, enjoy plenty of photo opportunities and the to play with small animals like pygmy goats. “On this event, we work with local rescue groups that bring in adoptable pets to raise awareness and donations for these organization,” says Gregg Curtis, co-owner.

Scary Haunted Houses Attract Older Kids And Gen X & Y

Some garden centers turn up the chills and offer attractions that thrill teens and adults. A Fairfield Garden Center in Fairfield, N.J., The Tunnel Of Terror brings together a demented freak show vibe with being caught in a horror movie. Check out its video that walks you through their attraction:

Zywiec’s Garden Center turns the volume up all the way on the scares. It transforms into a high-level thrill that can support decent ticket prices. Customers can choose between the Haunted Experience, which gives access to a haunted house, a low-scare option, a corn maze and a hayride, or the Big Zombie Hunter, where participants get the chance to attack actors in zombie costumes with paint ball guns. Zywiec’s Halloween events are so elaborate, it has its own website that details all the offerings. Make sure you check it out to see just how sophisticated the makeup and props are.

High Quality Video To Show Off Your Merchandise

Each Halloween and Christmas, Roger’s Garden in Corona Del Mar invests in creating high quality videos that put their inventory in the best possible light. Roger’s gift department is renowned for its merchandising and for offering sophisticated items that anyone would be proud to incorporate in her home. With the theme of “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” here’s the 2015 Halloween video, which is included on their website:

 

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