4/29/2016
What’s In a Name?
Jennifer Polanz
Managing Editor’s Note: Green Profit
Editor Ellen C. Wells ran this item in a recent Buzz enewsletter and generated such a great dialog through the comments that we wanted to run some of those responses here. - JP
I had dinner with a Millennial-aged friend the other night. She knows me only through the local yoga crowd and didn’t know what I did for a living. So I told her about Green Profit, a trade publication for people who own and work at garden centers.
“Oh, so a plant store?”
“Well, yes, but it’s a garden center.”
Is it time to retire the term “garden center?” Weigh in below.
“I could not agree with you more. One of my favorite garden centers in the world is Lifestyles in South Africa. You can witness the evolution of their name now. Their Foursquare page reflects Garden Center, but you can see on their Facebook page it’s all about Home & Garden, which includes a new company logo and color scheme. I could see in 10 years it would just be Lifestyle and perhaps a tagline.” —Marshall Dirks
“It certainly is time to retire ‘garden center.’ If you ask all your friends where the closest garden center is they’ll likely send you to The Home Depot, Lowe’s or Walmart before ever mentioning an independent, if they even know of one. Most independent garden center customers don’t refer to them with a name other than the first part—family name usually.” —Sid Raisch
“Don’t retire the term ‘garden center’! I believe it is a very descriptive term to distinguishing a ‘plant store’ from a full-service business that not only sells plants, but also decorative items related to planting and gardens, garden furniture, has experts to advise on just about anything ‘garden’ from landscaping ideas to information on the plants themselves, holds classes and courses, etc. When I hear ‘garden center,’ I know it is a place where all my needs and questions can be addressed in one location.”—Zak Wagner
“First, you should explain how the word ‘garden center’ was formed and why. I do agree with you that the word does not apply anymore. Just the same, it took many years to have the public accept the word. Making a change is complicated and requires a lot of work by a lot of organizations, including the DIY stores. This requires a lot of discussion.” —Ernest Wertheim
“I don’t think it’s time to retire the term. After all, we are more than just a plant store and our goods are ‘centered’ around gardens. Yes, that includes plants, but also so much more.” —Susan (no last name provided)
“We get hung up on names a lot. Sometimes, quite obsessively. According to FreeDictionary.com, anthropology means ‘the scientific study of the origin, the behavior and the physical, social and cultural development of humans.’ But if you ask any Millennial what they think of when you say ‘anthropology’ their mind thinks of the trendy, high-end clothing store and it’s spelled ‘Anthropologie.’ A ‘garden center’ can call themselves whatever they want; their brand is what people remember and resonate with.” —Katie Ketelsen
“Perhaps we should retire the ‘garden center’ moniker. I feel that perhaps it is limiting to the public idea of the services we actually provide. ‘Ecologically Inclusive and Bio-Diversity Promoting, Backyard-Fun and Beautification Retail Center’ may be a bit much. Maybe it’s time to rethink our label and open up the public perception (especially the Millennial generation) to the many paths our stores create in assisting them to reconnect with the natural world. Be it through plants, birding, water gardens, education or the general aesthetic enhancement of their living spaces.” —Elizabeth (no last name provided)
GP