Today we’d like to introduce you to Margaret Campbell.
Hi Margaret, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My journey began in September 1991. I was staying at home with our son (David) who had a car accident and needed physical therapy. David was doing much better and I wanted to get him back out to be around people again. I offered
to help our neighbor Steve who was growing mums and struggling to load them and deliver them on his lunch hour.
So the story begins….soon after I offered to volunteer, our son David got a job away from home which gave me even
more time to work.
Prior to doing volunteer work for Steve, I had started a small business named for my grandparents farm, “Sunny Hollow Plant Farm”and I was growing vegetables and herbs for local garden centers. I grew up helping my grandparents on their farm so growing plants was nothing new, however learning the perennials, shrubs and keeping up with all of the new plants being offered through Ball Seed was a challenge.
After volunteering for a bit, Steve decided to hire me on an hourly basis and before long I was working so many hours he ask we to go on a salary. I spent the fall and winter of that year calling landscapers in the area and offering to contract grow annuals for their company. When spring came around the idea to contract grow had taken hold and
we were about to outgrow our one employee business. Steve had been having high schoolers to come in to help
with mum planting and filling pots so at this point I was looking for help from the guys to fill flats for planting. We began to hire friends and people in the community and as the business really grew we went from contract growing 300 flats the first year to over 16,000 flats in the early 2000’s.
In the late 1990’s Steve bought the corner lot on Tryon Rd and Campbell Road to open a separate retail center of
Campbell Road Nursery. In 2003 Steve and his wife decided to retire and leave the area so my husband and I bought
the wholesale nursery on Campbell Road and Steve hired someone to run the retail center. And then the day came that
Steve walked in my office in November of 2005 to ask if I wanted to purchase the retail center as well. As he put it,
if you want to do Christmas Trees this year, you need to make plans to get them set up. It was a bit unnerving but at 60
years of age we had borrowed 1.6 million and now we had to get to work to pay it back. Through the water shortage of
2007 and the recession of 2008, we have survived. It has been a long tough time at times but I would not trade it for
anything. By the way, we did pay all the money back! Growing plants and being in nature daily has helped keep me going mentally and physically.
I have had the experience of working with great people as well as the experience of meeting our awesome customers.
Our goal is to grow the best plants and offer the great customer service to each customer. We grow veggies, perennials, shrubs and annuals as well as offering Christmas Trees and Poinsettias in November and December. Mitchell’s Nursery in King North Carolina is owned by my brother, his wife and son. They grow our hanging baskets, and geraniums as well as
our Poinsettias.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the most part being in the plant business has been a good fit for me. Being a woman owned business and trying to borrow money has not always been easy. At this point, the seasonal climate change is offering problems of trying to grow cool weather plants in 100 degree temperatures.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Owner and Manager of Campbell Road Nursery, Inc. retail and wholesale garden center. Water, unload trucks with forklift,
plant, order plants and anything that needs to be done at the nursery to keep it going. Campbell Road Nursery is known for growing healthy annuals,
perennials and a small offering of shrubs at affordable prices. We purchase most of our shrubs from local nurseries in surrounding counties. The special part of
owning the nursery is that I am able to support local food banks with plants, churches, school FFA clubs and many other giving opportunities that come along.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
My life has been one of being kind to everyone. We are not all fortunate enough to have the family I grew up in with
grandparents and parents to support us. My grandmother was an amazing person. Everyone should be so lucky to
have a Mona Phillips as a grandmother, kind, gentle, and loving. I have been called “Phil” since the day I was born which
comes from my granny’s last name.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.campbellroadnursery.com/
- Facebook: Campbell Road Nursery, Inc.
