Small Business Profile: Evergreen Nursery

(The Saturday after Thanksgiving has become a day to focus on small business. Patch did one story on "." A appeared Tuesday. Here is a third installment in an occasional series featuring locally owned merchants and services.)

 on San Leandro Boulevard has positioned itself as one of the Bay Area's leading centers for organic gardening supplies, a fast-growing segment of the market. It was a move that has served it well in the down economy.

Consumers are becoming more cost conscious of food prices and at the same time concerned about their health, Evergreen business manager, Doug Swint, said.

He said the store, which has been in San Leandro since 1984, has seen sales of vegetable starter plants skyrocket over the past two years. They have now become the nursery's number one product.

"People want organic and growing it themselves allows them to control what they are eating as well as the cost," he said.

"We have also seen some indicators that people are focusing more on improving and enjoying their homes," he said. "Instead of selling and moving they are freshening up their yards and installing irrigation systems."

He said the nursery's full scale landscaping division is growing.

During the holidays the nursery will be selling live trees in pots, but no cut trees. It is also featuring an array of indoor holiday decorations and ornaments for sale already on display.

Swint attributes Evergreen's longevity to its long-term employees who he describes as, "true garden experts".

The nursery also offers on-going classes on a variety of topics throughout the year as a service to its customers. These are advertised on its website.  

He said the nursery is also able to offer unique plants that big box retailers with garden departments just cannot offer.