Ending at the Beginning

This March issue will be the final print edition of Garden Center magazine. There’s no reason to sugar-coat that news — largely because there’s nothing particularly bitter about it. We are making a transition from paper to digital. So, we’ll keep providing the latest news and amazing content you’ve come to expect from our experts and contributors on gardencentermag.com. The difference will be that instead of holding a magazine, you’ll be holding a smartphone, tablet or laptop.

This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to our readers. We’ve been pushing IGCs to embrace a digital future for years. We’ve been telling you to improve your websites and preaching the importance of digital marketing. We’ve been talking about video and social media. We’ve been talking about e-commerce and AI and data integration. And what holds true for the world of IGCs holds true for the premier independent media outlet for the industry.

We’re following our own advice, plain and simple.

I don’t want to downplay how you as a reader, or we as a Garden Center magazine team, might feel about this transition. Change can be emotional. And, in fact, this entire issue is about change and emotions.

Our cover story examines the change in Woodinville, Washington, with the closure of Molbak’s. It’s an extraordinary article that allows us to process the emotions of a community losing its very literal heart and an IGC family coming to a major transition point after decades in service.

Judy Sharpton is addressing change, too, as she examines the way multigenerational IGCs approach transitions in leadership. Through the lens of succession, she probes the emotions that emerge as people who love each other attempt to find consensus and still manage to share a meal.

Also in this issue, we look at a transition in the plant world with the release of a glowing petunia. We explore consumer desire and grower trepidation and consider the excitement of what comes next.

It’s natural for us to feel all these things in times of transition: frustration, sadness, hopefulness, excitement. Each is valid. None is bad or wrong.

Personally, I am looking at the digital future of Garden Center magazine with nothing but anticipation. These physical pages are a boundary that we are primed to push beyond to serve the industry. The change means that we will be more nimble, open to more voices and able to diversify our content in dynamic ways.

We will continue to offer our established prestige content, including the Top 100 Independent Garden Centers List and State of the Industry Report. We’ll also continue to publish well-respected columnists and contributors. But all of it will be more interactive and visual — and easier to navigate and share.

In the interest of sharing, we’re also moving the Garden Center Conference & Expo online to ensure the best-in-class educational showcase reaches more people more places. Look for updated information in the coming weeks.

I am proud to have been a part of the print life of Garden Center magazine. And I am excited for the digital future. I’ll see you there to resume the conversation and connection we’ve built in these pages. This isn’t goodbye, it’s “See you tomorrow… ” and the next day, and the day after that, and … You get it.