Fahr Greenhouse saw crowds return after shutdown
The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown mandated by St. Louis County could not have come at a worse time for Fahr Greenhouse, 18944 St. Albans Road, in Wildwood, said Patrick Bellrose, one of the owners.
“Spring, of course, is our busiest time of the year,” he said. “From mid-March to around April 20, we were closed. We are in St. Louis County, so we follow their guidelines. Around April 20, they allowed greenhouses and garden centers to open, so we’ve been open from the end of April and ever since.”
On the plus side, people were clearly sick of staying inside and returned to Fahr Greenhouse in droves after the lockdown, Bellrose said.
“They flocked to us,” he said. “We could not keep enough vegetable plants in stock. We sold out of what we grew and bought plants from other greenhouses. It seemed like everybody was into home improvement and gardening, so that helped us.”
Fahr Greenhouse has made the changes necessary to keep customers and staff safe, Bellrose said.
“We started requiring employees to wear masks when they come into contact with retail and wholesale customers,” he said. “We installed hand-washing stations in all the greenhouses. That way people don’t have to walk a great distance to wash hands. We put up plastic shields in front of the cashiers.”
Bellrose said Fahr Greenhouse, which has been in business for more than six decades, will continue to provide the quality plants customers seek long into the future.
“We’ve been in business for 65 years,” he said. “We feel confident we’re through the worst of this. I want to thank our customers and vendors for being so patient and helpful.”
