6/29/2016
Mother’s Day Mayhem
Jennifer Polanz
The Friday before Mother’s Day this year Janell Martin invited me out to Catalpa Grove Farms in Columbiana, Ohio, to check out their hanging baskets before they got snatched up. You may remember Janell’s name—she was one of our Young Retailer Award finalists last year, and rightfully so. Their operation is a wonderful mix of farm and modern style. It proves you can go out to the farm for the day and come back with beautiful, unique items that have a modern flair. They have a couple of specialties: home-grown produce and a wide selection of mixed containers, hanging baskets and novelty planters. It’s the planters that stole the show right before Mother’s Day and that’s what you’re seeing here.
A WOW Basket
So it’s actually called a Pamela Crawford basket, but it’s designed to give customers that WOW look at the entrance to their driveway or home. The planters have holes in the sides with plants growing out, giving it a much fuller look.
From “Trash” to Treasure
Janell makes frequent trips to a popular flea market in Pittsburgh, just about an hour away, to buy all sorts of items that she plants up. These novelty items can’t be found anywhere else and can command a premium price. She does a great job of selecting items that strike a nostalgic note for customers, too, like old popcorn makers and tool boxes (like the one you see here). Other unique containers come from industry vendors like Maple Ridge Supply and Kinsman Co. (which also sells the Pamela Crawford baskets).
Bring on the Veggies
Flowering plants aren’t the only ones that get the mixed container treatment at Catalpa Grove Farms. They do the same for edible plants, which is also their specialty. As you can see, there are lots of different mixes for a variety of cooking needs.
Hanging Baskets Galore
The hanging basket selection did not disappoint. There were tons of styles for sun and shade, and many had already been sold by Friday morning. They were moving onto round two baskets, which were not quite as full as Round 1, but still ready for sale.
GP