Fairfield, Conn. – The Fairfield Chamber of Commerce is happy to announce that its family-owned Chamber member Ganim’s Garden Center & Florist, LLC is celebrating its 80th Anniversary this month, and will kick-off the four-day celebration with a ribbon cutting on Friday, September 21st, officiated by First Selectman Michael Tetreau, at 9:30am.
Background and Family Business Timeline:
When 21-year-old John Ganim lost his factory job in 1937, he began hauling potatoes from Connecticut to Florida and bringing back oranges, which he sold to local wholesalers. A year later, in 1938, John Ganim opened a roadside stand at 650 North Avenue—at the corner of North and Parrot—in Bridgeport.
Ganim’s Outdoor Market catered to an ethnic neighborhood. Business—and traffic—was brisk. I-95 had not yet been built, so North Avenue (U.S. 1) was a major thoroughfare. In those days, the neighborhood consisted of factories, dairies, a steel-covered diner, and bakeries. The aroma of fresh-baked bread and breakfast items from the Mitchell Dairy Restaurant filled the air every day. The ‘stand’ sold seasonal flowers for Easter and Mother’s Day, produce throughout the summer, pumpkins, apples, cider and mums during the fall, ending its season with Christmas trees, wreaths and cemetery items.
John brought in his father to run the retail operation while he went back on the road, hauling watermelons from down south to sell Mom-&-Pop stores. Soon, John was importing Christmas trees for sale to churches, small stores, gas stations and community clubs for fundraisers. Since all items were shipped by rail, the stand’s location was especially convenient and efficient. Later, trucks brought inventory right to the door. John’s labor force was his family, who were rewarded with college funds and store items. This location thrived until 1967, when the operation was forced to relocate due to the construction of the Route 8/25 connector.
In 1968, John found a new location at 320 Kings Highway Cut-Off in Fairfield. His son, Lee was a high school senior. Lee remembers selling produce on the corner without a building—product was displayed on pallets set up on milk crates. By Christmas, a building was underway—the shell was up with a telephone nailed to a telephone pole. John ran the business out of his car while his wife Mary took care of bills at night from their home on North Avenue. Springtime brought shed roofs and wooden walkways, with counters built from recycled pallets upon metal milk crates. The following fall, Lee entered UCONN-Stamford so he could help his parents run the store while he pursued his education. He graduated in 1974 with a B.S. in Horticulture, to the delight of his proud parents.
During the late 1970s, the family acquired an adjoining lot on Meadow Street and in 1981, a Big D-8 Excavator leveled the mountainous terrain to serve as a sales yard. This allowed Ganim’s to bring in larger trees and plant material as well as bagged products. Ganim’s Outdoor Market was turning into a real garden center.
In 1999, Lee’s son Austin graduated from UCONN with an A.S. in Horticulture and thus, the family garden center expanded into the landscape industry, later acquiring Lawn Care of Fairfield, Inc. (another established local family business), when its owner retired in 2004. Lee’s daughter, Merrilee, soon followed with a business degree from CCSU and a certification from the CFA, now expanding the garden center with a full-service florist component.
Ganim’s Garden Center & Florist, LLC, in conjunction with Austin Ganim Landscape Design, LLC, now supports a full-service garden center, commercial/residential landscape maintenance and installation services, landscape design services, and a florist department that services clients for weddings, funerals and other occasions.
But wait, there’s more! In 2011, Ganim expanded again, this time acquiring an adjacent piece of unproductive property from the Connecticut DOT. This expansion provided increased visibility for the garden center’s live inventory—now, customers can view products offered simply by driving along Kings Highway Cut-Off.
Seven years ago, Lee Ganim started a radio show, “That Garden Guy” on WICC 600 AM. The initial 5-minute Sunday morning segment eventually expanded to 30 minute with caller participation. Now, Lee’s show covers a full hour (8 a.m.– 9 a.m.) including a call-in Q & A with weekly gardening advice in real time. Podcasts are available at www.ganimsgardencenter.com each week.
On September 21, 22, 23 and 24, Ganim’s Garden Center & Florist, LLC will celebrate its 80th Anniversary. The 4-day event will feature great sales, gardening lectures from experts in the field, and special promotions. The family is proud to have achieved this milestone and sends out thanks to all of the folks who have supported them over their many years in business.
Event: 80th Anniversary Celebration
Date: Friday, September 21st – Monday, September 24th
Ribbon Cutting: Friday, September 21st
Time: 9:30am Ribbon Cutting
Location: Ganim’s Garden Center & Florist, LLC
Address: 320 Kings Highway Cutoff, Fairfield, CT 06824
For more information, please contact the owners, Lee Ganim or Merrilee Ganim at 203.333-5662. Or visit their website: www.ganimsgardencenter.com, or their FaceBook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/269571140535231/.