BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. (AP) - David Freed started Freed’s Greenhouse over 30 years ago, and he has been able to remain in business while other mom- and-pop greenhouses have gone by the wayside.
Situated on his family’s farm and encompassing over 40,000 square feet, Freed’s business has multiple greenhouses where he grows and sells a wide variety of vegetable plants, flowers, mulches, fertilizers, herbs and trees.
“I have about 12 greenhouses, since it’s easier to grow certain plants when they’re isolated from each other,” Freed said.
Freed said he learned the greenhouse business as a young man.
“I learned how to raise vegetables and plants when I went to work at the Jehovah’s Witness farm in Newburgh, New York,” Freed said. “I was assigned to the garden there. After that, I moved home and started a greenhouse.”
During the store’s busy season from about April through July 4, Freed employs 48 employees, some of whom are part-time and some full-time. During the remainder of the year, he has six employees, he said.
Throughout the decades, Freed’s Greenhouse has managed to stay afloat and do well, Freed said.
“Most of the time, we’ve been going steady over the last 30 years,” he said. “We’ve grown the business from nothing to what it is today. We started out with 1,000 square feet and now have over 40,000 square feet.”
“We’ve held a steady business,” said Jennifer Bierbaum, Freed’s daughter and the greenhouse’s store manager. “A lot of people who had small businesses like ours have died and their family sold the business. Or the owners retired and their kids tried to make it work for a while, and then sold them. We survived the recent recession by cutting payroll.
“I’ve been working here my whole life,” she said. “I do the book work, order plants, make up the planting schedule, make the combination basket formulas and help out with watering and cleaning, and whatever else my father needs,” Bierbaum said. “My husband also works here, doing maintenance.”
“There are fewer greenhouses around now because places like Lowe’s, Walmart and Home Depot started selling plants about 15 years ago,” Freed said. “The big box stores haven’t hurt our business because I have a much larger selection than they do and because of the quality of my plants. The big box stores don’t have people who water and fertilize the plants like we do with our plants.
“We also stay afloat with repeat customers,” Freed said. “We get older families with their kids and when the kids grow up, they become our customers too. There are also new people moving into the area all the time, which is good for business.”
Freed’s Greenhouse is located at 4536 Benedum Drive in Bridgeport. The phone number is (304) 592-0897. The business is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. During its busy season, the store stays open on Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
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