Lotus Lawn and Garden is closed. New garden center owners in Spring 2012Our plan was hatched sometime in 1987. We were living on the east coast and wanted to return to the Midwest to raise a family. Our idea was to buy some land and start a garden center. It was really very simple. We unfolded a map of the twin cities and opened up a Yellow Pages phone book. We put a pin on the map for each garden center we could find and stepped back to see where we might fit in. Then we got some demographic information for the places on the map that didn’t have many pins. All arrows pointed to Chanhassen.Back then, Chanhassen was a sleepy town. We began our search for land with a growing confidence that this could work. We had a number of parcels to choose from. We counted cars. We began to believe that this might work. We started to put our business plan together. We were young. Our families and friends kept their skepticism to themselves. We couldn’t imagine failure. Lotus Lawn & Garden opened its doors early spring of 1989. We had a business, people came, we sold and planted trees, and raised a family. It worked! We are very thankful to all those who have shopped at Lotus since then. We are satisfied when we reflect on all the trees, gardens and beautiful landscapes in the area that originated with plants and materials from Lotus. We are proud to have had a hand in making this community the special place it is today. It is now time to pass the torch. We have hatched a new plan. We know a young couple who has a similar dream to ours; to raise a family and grow a business. They already have a successful landscape business called By the Woods. They now want to grow their business and add a retail store. We think this is a good idea. During the past two years we have partnered with Laura Wood and Paul Farrell from By The Woods. Their successful landscape design and installation business is located in Victoria. Their crew has done all the landscaping for Lotus these last two seasons. Interestingly, our partnership with Laura and Paul goes back even further. Paul grew up in Eden Prairie and came often to Lotus with his parents. We hired him when he was a high school student and taught him how to water plants. He was a thoughtful and dedicated employee. We never thought that he was quietly studying other things about the business. Laura also grew up in Eden Prairie and worked for us years ago. We were struck by how independent and capable she seemed. Laura and Paul met years later and formed their partnership in By the Woods. Lotus Lawn & Garden has closed its doors. Laura and Paul will continue the legacy of a hometown, family owned garden center in Chanhassen. They will remodel this winter and the garden center will have a fresh look and feel by spring. Their enthusiasm will bring a new energy and dedication to serving customers in Chanhassen and the surrounding communities. Please support them and stop by this spring. Laura and Paul will be working harder than ever to make their dream come true. They can’t imagine failure. We can’t either. Keep planting! Jay and Peggy Kronick P.S. For more information about By the Woods, go here. |