Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Kirby.
Brandon, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In 1976, our history began at a small location near West Ave and Blanco Rd., by Frank Kirby and George A. Beere when they purchased an existing nursery called Harmony Hills Garden Center. Another existing garden center named Hollywood Park Garden Center, at Thousand Oaks and Hwy 281, was purchased around 1978. The names of the existing nurseries were changed to Rainbow Gardens around 1980. In that era, there were many garden centers in San Antonio. We remain family owned and operated to this day.
Over the years Rainbow Gardens has grown and flourished. We have become San Antonio’s premier garden center. We have always strived to create a fun place to shop with our interesting display gardens, quality plants, knowledgeable staff and a huge inventory. Customers can learn about gardening through our extensive encyclopedic sign library. We emphasize hyper-local education through digital content found on our website’s learning center, social media and Youtube program. We always joke – if you can’t find it at Rainbow Gardens, it doesn’t exist in San Antonio!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The weather has always been a challenge – most notably the large fluctuations in high and low temperatures that can shock or damage our plant inventory. We have long standing relationships with our suppliers and try to source locally as much as possible. The last few years have challenged our buying team as product scarcity and supply chain interruptions have become the norm. The horticulture industry has a large percentage of owners/operators of grow operations and nurseries are starting to age out and retire. This creates a strain on the knowledge pool of our industry and we historically haven’t seen a large influx of eager, young folks who are willing to pick up the reins. COVID has broken the mold, highlighting the need for food resiliency and the concept of bringing the outdoors inside your home with the houseplant movement. We are starting to see the needle move, with young folks picking up horticulture as a hobby or full time job – something we are thrilled to be a part of.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are proud to have served San Antonio & the surrounding areas for over 46 years with high quality plants, the best selection and hyper local gardening knowledge. Our nurseries are over 10 acres of combined, park-like space, where people come to share their passion of plants & connect with nature. We are best known for our stellar selection, encyclopedic signage, knowledgeable staff and community oriented atmosphere. We set ourselves apart through knowledge, product quality and selection. We are most proud to be a positive catalyst in the ecosystem of San Antonio – empowering individuals to create their own garden oasis.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Frank Kirby & George Beere were the visionaries and founders of Rainbow Gardens. Through their vision and tenacity, Rainbow Gardens has grown to be a San Antonio institution. Ronnie Grell, owner and operator of our Thousand Oaks location, has helped bring in unusual and unique plants to our organization with his contagious passion for the obscure. Daniel Keith, owner and operator of our Bandera Road location, strives for excellence through his commitment to providing our customers with the best quality and selection in the area. Kathy Wolfe, a longtime manager at our Bandera Road store, has graced our customers with excellent, hyper-local advice for the last 30 years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rainbowgardens.biz/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rainbowgardenstx/?utm_medium=copy_link
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rainbowgardens.biz
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rainbowgsatx
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIlQQdIjnQnfWlPHNi9EGhA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rainbow-gardens-san-antonio-2
Image Credits
Lisa Mulroy
San Antonio Express News
