Just as every plant has a season in which it grows, so, too, do people. And for Dale Naffziger, the season of growth — of building a business from the ground up and running it — is coming to a close.
After 40 years in business this year, Naffziger has put Growing Grounds, the garden center at 1610 S. Main Street in Bloomington, up for sale, marking the end of his ownership.
"I don't know. I just decided there are other things I want to do and who knows how much longer you're going to be here," Naffziger, 66, said in an interview. "So, it's time to do some of those things."
While set to be the end of an era for Naffziger, the hope is that the same will not be true of Growing Grounds: Naffziger said that while he put the 4.2-acre site and business up for sale earlier this year, he's waiting for the right person to come along, someone who could "do it like I did it — do it better."
"It's a lot: The property's worth a lot, there's too much inventory. If I gave it away, I don't know anybody who could hardly afford it. I know people that can buy it, but they don't know how to run it," he said. "It's complicated."
Growing Grounds today is a far cry from what it was back in 1984. In addition to indoor and outdoor plants, trees, and shrubs, the business sells interior decor and offers florist services.
Building the business was a family affair, Naffziger said, with his father helping with business purchases and practices, and his mother and brother pitching in to work as well. As with all things that grow, it's required real investments of labor and time — something Naffziger said he wants to be sure the next owner will be serious about.
"Somebody needs to be here. I know friends [who] said 'Hey, Dale, we're interested,' and they have another business. I said, 'Well, which one of you is going to come here and be here eight or 10 hours a day?'" Naffziger said. "So, I didn't think it was a good fit for them. It's a hands-on thing. You've got to be here."
Naffziger said it's also not just about his desire to see the Growing Grounds legacy continue; given the demand for all things garden and plants-supply related, he said he believed the number of locally owned garden centers — which he puts at four, naming Casey's, AB Hatchery and Wendell Niepagen — shouldn't change.
When Owen Nursery closed its garden center last year after more than 90 years in business, Naffziger said demand at Growing Grounds skyrocketed.
"I think it would be hard in town for the three other garden centers to pick up this much. There's four of us that are really garden centers, and I think it'd be really hard to do it with three," Naffziger said. "It's hard to do it with four. With Owen closed, it was just busy. So, I think it needs to be here."
The business and property are being sold through Axis 360 Commercial Real Estate Specialists agent Mike Talkington.
Although finally ready to move on, Naffziger said the focus remains more on finding the right person to continue Growing Grounds than it does on selling the operation by a specific date.
"Somewhere there's the perfect person for this — and it'll happen. It'll happen. We'll make it happen, sometime, and when it fits, it'll work," he said.
