A common definition for a garden centre is “a retail firm that sells plants and products related to
gardens.” Simple enough, right?
But it turns out that much like gardens themselves, the businesses that are attracting the green thumbs of
the world can indeed be spruced up. Imagine taking the bare minimum in garden centres, and adding an
impressive selection of fashion and home decor, fundraisers, gardening classes, a café, an indoor garden open
during the winter months and even a weekly three-hour talk show on your local radio station.
What you would get is the Greenland Garden Centre in Sherwood Park, Alta., a family-run business that goes
above and beyond.
Chosen as Canada’s Best Garden Centre in 2010 and Canadian Retailer of the Year in 2006, Greenland has truly
evolved into an enviable destination dating back to its humble roots more than 50 years ago.
It all began with John Chichak who, along with his wife, Lennie, ran a small landscaping business out of
their backyard in the northern part of Edmonton in 1960. After moving their business to a small acreage
nearby in 1970, Chichak saw his three children — Deborah, Tim, and Wayne — take over the operation in 1981.
Ten years later, along with his son-in-law, Rod, the younger generation moved Greenland to its current
location in Sherwood Park, less than 10 km east of Edmonton, and haven’t looked back since.
Their selection of plants and flowers rival those of any competitor. Their perennials (plants that come back
year after year) range from the well-known lily to lesser-known varieties such as the “Exploded Pumpkin” and
the “Jamaican Me Crazy.” From various trees, shrubs and annuals to a wide array of roses, Greenland
definitely has its fair share of greenery to choose from.
But that’s not all. Greenland is a large supplier of home decor, including artwork for your walls, bath and
body products for your washroom, or linens for your dining room table. Feel like decorating outside your
house? Greenland offers garden statues, outdoor furniture, fountains and birdbaths. And of course, when it
comes to garden supplies, Greenland has you covered.
Their intention with the new location was to become a destination and not just a garden centre. The last
thing they wanted was an impersonal place where customers are in and out. And according to store manager Tina
Burback, it appears they have achieved their goal.
“As someone who works in the office, I’m not always on the floor,” said Burback, who has been part of the
team for 15 years. “And sometimes I’ll walk out on the floor and I’ll see a group of people and when I’ll
walk out three hours later, that group is still there.”
To become a premier destination, Burback believes it’s important to go above and beyond in terms of the
products and services offered. She specifically mentions home and garden decor and fashion accessories but
for her, it is something less tangible that keeps people coming back.
“We’ve become a destination for information,” she said. “I think number one if you were speaking gardening,
it would be information that sets us apart.”
For the Greenland staff, which includes 150 seasonal staff and 50 year-round employees, knowledge is power.
Burback says new employees are put through hours of training before they are even allowed to hit the floor.
Knowing your product — a difficult thing to achieve with high turnover rates — is something that Greenland
prides itself on. But with a loyal team of employees, the folks at Greenland are constantly refining their
knowledge of gardening.
“We have returning staff year after year and I think that’s what makes a big difference too is that we’ve got
this great team that is just learning more and more every year,” she said.
One often hears of the fierce competition between your big-box stores and your family-run businesses. While
it is something you always have to consider, Burback doesn’t agree with the common perception that prices are
always lower at commercial retail giants, for example.
“The independents are doing such a good job at sticking to really competitive pricing so that hasn’t been an
issue,” she said.
One way Greenland ensures they aren’t swallowed up by the box stores of the world is to seek out good deals
from their suppliers, often going a long way to do it. For example, Burback spoke of employees physically
driving down to Portland, Ore., on “dirt roads” to seek out new suppliers. It is this level of effort that
allows Greenland to offer the competitive pricing that customers keep coming back for.
When one thinks of gardens, winter isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But for the past seven years,
from January to April, Greenland has operated a heated indoor garden equipped with retaining walls,
waterfalls and hundreds of plants. And nobody expected the idea to morph into what it is today.
“It’s kind of turned into this soothing spot for people to meet,” said Burback. “We have a lot of seniors’
groups and mental health groups that are using it as part of their day-to-day healing. It’s amazing! On a day
like today [late February], it feels like May. It’s absolutely beautiful. We call it our escape.”
Along with their varied wares and unique experiences, Greenland also has a social conscience. Numerous
fundraisers are held every year to support local charities, with the “Ladies’ Night Out for Cancer,” an
annual event held every November for the past five years, raising $16,000 this time around for the Cross
Cancer Institute. Greenland also holds fundraisers to support A Safe Place, a local shelter in Sherwood Park
for abused women and their children.
Not only do their knowledgeable staff dish out advice to buyers but they also double as teachers, with
Greenland offering gardening classes as well as home decorating classes.
“In the course of a year, we’ll have several thousand people come through to take our classes,” said Burback.
“It’s everything from vegetable gardening to decorating your home for Christmas.”
Part of their marketing strategy is a three-hour gardening talk show on 630 CHED, a local radio station based
in Edmonton. Burback is pleased to report that the response to the show has been overwhelmingly positive.
“When we started out, we were just blown away,” she said of the response. “The amount of emails and phone
calls that we get during the week after doing the show is amazing. There’s obviously a lot of interest out
there.”
But the radio show isn’t the only way Greenland gets its name out there.
“While the radio show is a part of our marketing strategy we also credit our success to word of mouth,” said
Burback. “We don’t underestimate the value of our loyal customers and their desire to boast about Greenland.”
Burback said their website receives a lot of attention, with updates on a regular basis. And a social media
marketing strategy is in the works as they hope to attract a younger demographic to Greenland and get the
kids interested in gardening.
“We definitely feel that social media is something we’ve got to get involved with,” said Burback. “There is
that demographic out there that we want in our store that responds to Facebook and to Twitter.”
Just when you thought they couldn’t do any more, Greenland continues to evolve with the times. And judging by
what they offer to their loyal customers, we may need to retool the typical limited definition of a garden
centre.
The Greenland Garden Centre is located east of Edmonton at Cloverbar Road and Yellowhead Trail in Sherwood
Park, Alta. For more information, visit greenlandgarden.com. •
Photos courtesy Greenland Garden Centre
