CLEARWATER, FL – Next year’s GCA Summer Tour is headed to Portland, Ore., for a behind-the-scenes look at the garden centers that make this Northwestern market a hub of retail innovation, according to a press release from Garden Centers of America. The announcement was made by Jeff Morey, GCA co-director, during the GCA Summer Tour Milwaukee.
"Portland has always held a special place in my ‘gardening heart’ since my first trip there as a teenager,” Morey says. “From the Portland Japanese Garden and the International Rose Test Garden overlooking the city, to the wealth of tremendous garden centers doing business there, this Northwestern gem is a must-see. If you’ve never been, you have to go; if it’s been a while, it’s time to get back. The natural beauty in this part of the world is breathtaking.”
Kris Shepard, Owner of Caan’s in Sheboygan, WI, and a member of the GCA Leadership Council, says, “Portland is a treasure trove of merchandising and retail inspirations for IGC retailers. I still go back to the library of photos I took from our visits to Portland garden centers back in 2009. There is so much to discover there.”
In addition to touring Portland garden centers, plans are being made now to take attendees to a major grower and principal plant supplier to IGC retailers across the nation.
Watch for the late-June dates and destinations of next year’s tour to be announced in the coming months.
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