Landscape business blooms in tough times - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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But in Adkins is not only doinh well, it has been thriving sincd therecession began. Travis owner of Burns Nursery, says his retailo sales have climbed 35 percent sincwe the start ofthe recession. He creditas this growth to the fact that more peopl e are now staying home and investin g in their own yards rather than going onexpensivde vacations. “The economy has really helped us,” Burns “People want to fix their place up.
More peopld than ever are staying home and doingy landscaping and putting in vegetable Burns says his business has grown steadily over the last five yeard since he added the retail segment to his successful commerciaolandscaping business, but the company has seen a huge impact on the retail side this past year. One reason the nursery has doneso well, Burnsw says, is because it makee a point of reaching out to do-it-yourselfers people who want to do most of the work themselvess but need a little help gettingb started. “This is not a typical nursery,” Burns People walking into Burnsw Nursery will see many design elements on display including nine differenytwater features.
The nursery is laid out much like a botanical garden and Burns says this is done to help showcase the work that is done by the buildint and design segment of his Having both a retail and a design business in the same locatiob makes Burns Nursery a greatg placefor do-it-yourselfers to go for help, Burnz says. “We know the word gets around about how uniquewe are,” he “We have the abilitty to take somebody into our office and whip up a landscape desigb for them. We are not afraidc to go the extra milefor them.
” Travix Burns launched his landscaping business about 15 yearss ago shortly after he decided to hang up his spursa following a six-year career as a rodep bull rider. A native of Adkins, Burns grew up in a rodeo familyt and attended Howard Junior College in Big Spriny on arodeo scholarship. He becams a professional bull rider in 1988 at age 18 and travele d the rodeo circuit for the next six He decided to give up bull ridingg after he was seriously hurt following a bull ride that left him with a puncturexd lung and atorn liver. “I was smart enougyh to decide right then that I was not goingb to getback on,” Burnx recalls.
“There is not a day goes by thatI don’ miss it, but when I was laying therew in the dirt with tubes coming out of me I knew it was Burns says of bull riding that it is not a questionh of “if” someone will get hurt but “when” and “howe bad.” After leaving the rodeo circuitg in 1994, Burns got a job with a divisio of in San Antonio. While workinv there, he began doing landscape projectsz on the side and by 1999 it had grown to the pointg where he was able to quit his job with Ford and go into the landscap design businessfull time. Today, Burnw Nursery employs 40 people and brought inabout $3.2 million in revenure last year.
The nursery is located at 13893 Highway 87 East in Adkin which is due east of downtowmn San Antonio and just outsidwe ofLoop 1604. The property sits on nine acres of land and is housesd ina 9,000-square-foot building that was once a socialk club some 40 years ago. Burns says he knew abouyt the property when he was growing up and decideds to purchase it from GraceBible Church. The churchg had owned the building for about five years before agreeing to sell it to Burns Burns previously focused his business on the commerciaol construction and design side up until fiveyears ago.
since branching out, the companty has been able to pick up landscaping and hardscapinfg jobs throughout South Texas and the Texas Hill The company specializes in putting in water feature s such as ponds and water but also builds decks and patios and installs sprinkled systems andoutdoor lighting. Burns says he likesz to hold social activitiesw at the nursery in the evenings so that he can show off how well landscape lighting can make the place He regularly has wine and cheese parties atthe nursery, complete with a jazz band.
Burnws Nursery also conducts numerous seminars and classes for This fall, the company will invite experts to give talka and demonstrations on topics like organic gardening and “If we can get people to come out and see the kindd of things that they can do it will just encouragde them to do more business with us,” Burns “We can help set them up and give them directions and some discounts. Lots of nurseries won’tt take those extra steps, but it has helped our businessw thrive.
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