When the owners of McKay’s Hardware in Holly, Mich., (http://mckays.doitbest.com/home.aspx) decided to open a pop-up garden center last spring, they tapped into two of their biggest strengths: an extensive selection of gardening hard goods, and the can-do spirit characteristic of independent retailers. Before: McKay’s Hardware started spring 2010 with a block-and-board setup. Owner Ken McKay knew it would sell plants. But the look, he quipped, was definitely “rustic.”
Just before the spring rush began in earnest, a chance encounter changed McKay’s entire garden center venture. The plants on display caught the eye of Jerry Bennett from a neighboring business—SPC Retail (www.structuralplastics.com), the makers of Benchmaster merchandising systems. The folks at SPC Retail saw a case study in the making, and offered McKay’s a makeover. |
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