METROPOLIS, Ill. — The way Billy Hopkins, owner of McPlants Garden Center in Metropolis, sees it: The plants don’t care.
“These plants have never heard of the coronavirus,” Hopkins said, who has owned the garden center — which has been in Metropolis for 30 years — for 13 growing seasons.
He was well into the growing process which culminates in spring plant sales when Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the state’s stay-at-home order on March 21.
Hopkins has to go to work to take care of his plants and tend to the seeds he sows for geraniums, which are McPlants’ specialty and for which customers travel hours to purchase. Sunpatiens, petunias and vegetable plants are other favorites.
“I have to be here. These plants have to be watered. They have to be tended,” Hopkins said.
He saw a surge in customers early in March, as fears of what a possible quarantine or other action related to coronavirus mounted.
“It’s been a huge vegetable month. I grow all my own vegetables, I seed it all and take care of it all, so that way I know what kind of plants I’m selling people. That surge has got me very low on vegetable plants, but it’s a replenishable thing. I’ve got them planted, but that was the unexpected part. I did not account for how many people were going to be sitting at home saying ‘maybe we should grow some vegetables,’” he said.
He has shortened his business hours, and since he is the only person working, that limits how many employees are in contact with customers, but Hopkins said he isn’t going to turn business away.
“I’ve been in retail too long to turn somebody away. If they walk through my door, they’re going to be taken care of,” he said.
Cancellation of events and festivals throughout the area will have an impact on his business, Hopkins said.
A major multi-state quilt show, the Paducah QuiltWeek Show, was scheduled for April 22-25. That event was postponed to Sept. 2-5. By then, Hopkins’ growing and sales season will be over.
“We’re going to get hurt because they canceled a bunch of the festivals down here that bring people to town and people to Paducah. I’ve got customers who come down for the big quilt festival every year and they always come here and they go back to their homes with a big carload of my plants,” he said.
Even despite the worry, Hopkins said the biggest make-or-break factor for his business remains the weather.
“My business depends so much more on the weather than on anything. We’ve had plant closings and different things that have affected the economy in town. If the weather is good, I have a good season. If the weather isn’t, I don’t. It’s that simple,” he said.
Seatonville Greenhouse
For Tad Tinker, the owner of Seatonville Greenhouse in Seatonville, every year presents a challenge to his greenhouse operation. Figuring out how to get his plants out to his customers in spite of the social distancing and stay-at-home orders is just one more of those.
“Last year, we had a terrible gardening year around here. My early challenges are sun versus no sun when we are trying to get everything going. The year before, we had gray days for a month. I saw this as just another challenge this year,” Tinker said.
To help customers and to cheer them up earlier this year, Tinker posted his inventory on the greenhouse’s website. With help from his sister, Cara Little, who is talented at computer design, Tinker did that.
When it became clear that walk-in traffic might be lighter, Little suggested another way to get plants to customers.
“She said, ‘Why don’t we throw a store together?’ I was a little leery because of the sheer numbers of what we have,” Tinker said.
They went ahead and now www.seatonvillegreenhouses.com offers online ordering with curbside pickup along with the option to make an appointment to shop the greenhouse in person.
Tinker’s dog, Daisy, models some of the plants and some of the benches and planters and garden decorations he crafts.
“She has a bigger following than any planting we do,” he said.
He is surprised at how popular the online ordering has become. Many customers know exactly what they want to repeat plantings, and Tinker said some of those orders remind him of fast food drive-throughs.
“I had a fun order this morning — three perennials, two geraniums, half a dozen bundles of onions. It was like a whole to-go order at once,” Tinker said.
Customers can call, email or text when they are on their way. Their orders are delivered to their vehicles at the greenhouse.
Tinker said he plans to keep improving the online store and to keep it up after the spring season finishes. He re-opens in the fall to sell fall plants and decorations, including decorative squash and gourds he grows himself.
“It’s been a pleasant surprise that’s come out of trying to find homes for all of these plants,” he said.
What’s Next?
The two greenhouse growers plan to keep on growing and hoping for better days and sunshine.
“I’m getting my regular customers taken care of, and I always like to see that. People are still going to have their flowers,” Hopkins said.
McPlants Garden Center can be reached at 618-524-4812. Seatonville Greenhouse can be reached at 815-894-2125.