Pandemic hasn’t been Thorne in the side for lawn firm
The coronavirus pandemic has brought more work for Thorne Lawn and Landscapes in Festus.
“We’ve been pretty busy,” owner Justin Thorne said. “Since people have been at home, doing things on their own, so there’s been a lot of projects.”
Sometimes homeowners begin a do-it-yourself project with high hopes but end up calling Thorne to the rescue.
“People get into it, thinking they will do it themselves, and it turns out to be bigger than they thought,” he said. “It happens sometimes.”
Thorne and his staff offer far more than just basic mowing and trimming.
“We’re a full lawn-care company,” Thorne said. “We do fertilizer, spring and fall cleanups, landscape work, full bed rehab, small retaining walls, paver patios. We kind of do everything, all the hardscape and greenery.”
It takes many hands to get it all done.
“I have several employees – my brother helps out, my nephews,” Thorne said. “We’re looking at expanding next year, hiring some more. I hope to start a second crew that can focus on the lawn care side and small maintenance.
“Then we can hopefully add a full-time retaining wall crew, and in a couple of years, maybe break that part of it off into its own separate business.”
For the moment, though, Thorne will offer another, strictly seasonal service.
“We’ve had people asking us for several years if we do holiday lighting,” he said. “We will install the lights, do the outside decor, then do maintenance and service calls through the season.
“We’ll come and take it all down the first week of January, or later if they want, and store it. Hopefully, we’ll come back the following year and do the same or even expand.”