An upcycled pallet serves as a vertical planter at Girard Supply Co. | Image via girardsupplyco.comThe mixer held last month at the Girard Supply Co. had all the trappings of a great party – beer, wine, food and of course, concrete.
This was no ordinary party. It was a concrete mixer, hosted by Brewerytown’s newest garden supply store.
Located at 2710 W Girard Avenue, Girard Supply Co. first opened its doors at the end of May, with the hopes of becoming a truly local garden supply store. The idea came from David Waxman and Jake Roller, founders of MMPartners, the largest real estate developer in Brewerytown.
Frustrated with the high prices and limited selection available at large chain stores, Waxman, an avid urban gardener himself, decided that it was time to open his own shop. Within a month MMPartners secured a property for its new pop-up garden store.
As a small local store, Girard Supply Co. has been able to offer customers more specialized and unique products, including upcycled planters and decorative items.
“The store is very rustic,” says Sarah Peoples, Creative Director of Girard Supply Co. “Instead of covering it up we embrace that aesthetic and see the beauty in it.”
Girard Supply Co. has also embraced the Brewerytown community, holding events such as the Concrete Mixer and an upcoming Seed Bomb Workshop.
A guerilla gardener’s weapon of choice, a seed bomb is a small clay ball filled with seeds that can be dropped into any abandoned lot and left to explode with beautiful flowers and plants.
The supply company will continue to sell plants, both of guerilla and non-guerilla variety, through early fall, but hopes to stick around even longer if demand for it remains high.
“More people want greenery around them,” says Peoples. “It brings them back to their roots. It is just good for the soul to have green around us.”
The next workshop at Girard Supply Co. is Seed Bomb 101 and is happening Thursday, August 9th, 5:30-7:30 p.m., $10 entry, supplies, snacks and refreshments provided. For more information, visit girardsupplyco.com.
