family traditions and values of Newman Flowers, while also putting our own angle on things,” says Matt. Their first year of operations was memorable to say the least. “Our first Mother’s Day, it snowed. No one was thinking about gardening at all,” Matt re- calls. “And making sure that we had enough inventory of hard goods (pots and garden décor) was incredibly challenging too. I remember going to my parents home and taking décor from their house and yard just to fill up the shelves.” Around this same time, the Fenns also expanded their fam- ily, welcoming their second child, Johnny. It was a busy season, but an exciting one as well. “Linda and I are incredibly lucky that we have such close,
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erything, Linda and I decided to leave the wholesale division behind, and focus strictly on the retail market.” They also began taking a seri- ous look at the former Newmans Flowers store and greenhouses on Simcoe Street. “We knew Newmans had been a wonderful family business in a
great location,” says Matt. “When they closed, we saw an oppor- tunity to relocate our operations and build on that rich history.” The Fenns acquired the former Newman Flowers location in late 2010, and officially opened as Tillsonburg Garden Gate Ltd. on April 15, 2011. “We wanted to carry on the
(Left Bottom) Garden Gate staff pose with HGTV’s Carson Arthur during his visit to the store this past February. (Above) Thea and Johnny Fenn love visiting with Santa during his annual visit to Garden Gate.
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