Family-owned garden centers should remain open during the coronavirus pandemic

I am the owner of a local Hershey business that provides consulting services to independent family-owned garden centers and other green industry businesses throughout Pennsylvania.

Many of our independent family-owned garden centers are now in danger of going out of business.

The Governor's COVID-19 shutdown order has closed all independent family-owned garden centers in Pennsylvania, including local businesses such as Stauffer's of Kissel Hill in Hummelstown.

Yet the governor has allowed the garden centers run by the giant big box stores - Home Depot, Lowes and Walmart - to continue operations. This is not fair.

Independent family-owned garden centers can remain open in all of our surrounding states: Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland.

An independent family-owned garden center like Stauffer's makes 60-70 percent of their annual revenue during the three spring months of April-June. If they lose the spring, it will be difficult for them to reopen.

Garden centers are much safer for shoppers than a typical grocery or big box store because most of their plants are outside. This makes it easier to maintain social distancing and their customers are not in a space that is recirculating stale indoor air.

Families are looking to grow more of their own food themselves in this COVID-19 time. Garden centers supply the plants, seeds, fertilizers, tools and materials that the home gardener needs to have a successful vegetable garden.

We urge readers to call Governor Wolf at (717) 787-2500 and ask him to reopen independent family-owned garden centers so they may continue to serve our community in this difficult time.

Gregg E. Robertson , President, Conewago Ventures LLC, Hershey, PA 17033

Spring 2013 Commercial. McCabe's Greenhouse and Floral Garden Center