Detroit Farm and Garden is entering its third planting season this spring, and the Southwest Detroit-based business is still figuring out what it wants to be.
"We're still a young business," says Jeff Klein, co-founder of
Detroit Farm and Garden. "We still have a lot of growing to do to get to where we want to be as a business. We're still figuring out the permanent products for our business."
And that's a good thing. The landscaping supply company has adjusted its stock to fit its customers needs since it opened at a former police station on West Vernor Highway in the shadow of the Michigan Central Station.
Detroit Farm and Garden still offers staples like topsoil, gravel, and 50-50 mix of topsoil and compost for urban gardening. It also has a broad range of gardening and landscaping tools, including planters made of reclaimed wood. This year it's going to offer more classes on everything from landscape design to urban gardening. It will offer warm composting and worms for vermicompost. And there will be a wider selection of seeds for bulk purchase.
"Those are organic as well, of course," Klein says.
Detroit Farm and Garden recently hired a new person for the warm season, bringing its staff to six people. The company plans to do more outreach into the local Hispanic community with ads on Spanish-language radio.
"We find that for as many people who know about us, there are people two blocks away who don't know about us," Klein says.
Source: Jeff Klein, co-founder of Detroit Farm and Garden
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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