Planters | Spice up planter offerings

The interesting shapes, range of sizes and bold colors that define Marchioro’s line of containers set the planters apart from others on the market, says Mark Greyerbiehl, who owns Ace Home & Garden’s Five Star North location in Charlevoix, Mich., and first saw the company’s impressive displays at AmericasMart Atlanta.

“One of our goals was to get some unique shapes, colors and sizes in our pottery,” Greyerbiehl says. “We did not order the standard stuff; we ordered big [containers] in unique shapes.”

Marchioro’s vast container collection includes pots specifically designed for the indoors, and each line caters to the tastes of various gardeners. A mix of colors, including bright hues and sophisticated, soft pastels are available, and containers range from highly decorated lines to sleek textured pots and square-shaped planters. The range in the products means they appeal to a wide variety of customers, including homeowners with multimillion dollar properties and commercial businesses looking to add curb appeal to their entrances.

Though Greyerbiehl did purchase some smaller pots, he was most excited about the containers that, as he put it, can easily fit four adult men inside. Some of the lines offer XL and even XXL options — one of the largest is from the Zara line at a whopping 317 gallons. There’s a suitable container for everything from an orchid to a tree.

This is the first year Greyerbiehl has carried Marchioro’s planters, but he’s already planning on expanding his order for 2017 and buying other categories of products the company offers.

“I’ve had some nice sales so far,” he says, adding that he’s only offered the line for about five weeks as of press. “I had one fellow come in and buy 10 or 12 medium-sized pots averaging between $150 and $250 apiece. He was drawn to the colors. They weren’t terracotta; they weren’t [your typical] gray.”

Next year, he’d like to order more railing planters, as customers with decks and small spaces are drawn to them, and bowls, because pre-made miniature gardens have performed well at the store. Purple and black containers are also popular.

“It’s been going well, but we’ve had no ads yet,” he says, explaining that he plans to incorporate the extra-large pots into his TV advertisements for shock value. “All of our sales so far have been word of mouth, and that’s a good thing because it means people are excited about it.”