Monroe garden center blooming
Laura Ann Cuomo and her brother, Anthony, don”™t recall a time in their lives when they have not been working in or around agriculture in one way, shape or form.
“Our Italian grandfather had a vegetable pushcart in Brooklyn, where he would peddle produce he grew himself,” recalls Laura, whose family moved to the Hudson Valley when she was a toddler. “Growing things, whether it is fruits or vegetables, is just in our blood.”
Laura and Anthony Cuomo opened Laura Ann Farms on Route 17M in Monroe in 1973. “It was really just a shanty,” laughed Laura, “100 feet by 80 feet and no heat. We were only open during the season, from May through October. We also opened during Christmas season to sell trees.”
Eventually, the siblings were able to buy the property the shanty sat on, along with an additional two acres next to it. “We could have never done it today,” said Anthony, “but back then, land was affordable. It was a very good investment for us.”
Little by little, Laura Ann Farms grew, along with its regular customer base. By 1995, the siblings decided to expand their small shop and built a 5,000-square-foot retail space and an adjoining 8,000-square-foot greenhouse. Along the way, they added giftware, a floral shop and outdoor furniture to the store”™s inventory. Behind the building, the rest of the property is a maze of flowers, shrubs, trees and outdoor statuary. Brick pavers line the walkways between the rows, which Anthony is painstakingly putting in, section by section. “It”™s a work in progress. … it”™s never-ending work, to be sure.”
The recession has kept business flat, said Laura Cuomo, but the initial shock of losing customers to national retailers offering garden supplies didn”™t last long. “We have one thing chain stores don”™t have,” said Laura proudly, “and that is the knowledge and expertise you need in this business. We know what kinds of plants and shrubs flourish in the shade or sun; what”™s good for landscaping and what”™s not; a good spot for a tree and how to care for it; and where and when to plant. We help our customers if they have garden pests or need to replace shrubs. We had a lot of ice damage this winter and people are replanting what they lost. You can”™t find that kind of help when you walk into a national retailer. Our customer service and knowledge has been the backbone of our business. It keeps our customers coming back.”
And despite the recession, Laura Ann Farms”™ parking lot is full almost every day of the week now that the weather”™s improved. “It was a little scary at the beginning of the season,” admits Laura. “When it”™s cold and rainy, nobody thinks about going outside and planting. Thankfully, we had one very warm and sunny weekend; I think people woke up and realized they had better start planning for the season. Business has been pretty steady since then, especially since Mother”™s Day weekend. We just hope it stays that way.
“We”™ve been very fortunate,” she continued. “We don”™t have a Web site ”“ we have a domain name but we just haven”™t had the time to sit down and hash it out. People are able to reach us to order flowers online, but not the rest of the merchandise we carry. What keeps us going is the loyalty of our customers, who come back year after year, and our new customers come to us by word of mouth.” Most of the flowers, shrubs and trees are grown by Anthony and his wife, Doreen, on their property in Chester. “We have five acres dedicated to planting, as well as two acres of greenhouses which we maintain all year.”
Laura Ann Farms is open from March through December, then closes in January and February. Is that the time the brother and sister act slip away to vacation? “Hell, no,” laughed Anthony. “That”™s when we spend time getting ready for the next season. This is a business that never ends. Vacation is one of those items ”˜on the list.”™”