Greenhouse Adventure to Wayland, MA
February is always busy with trade shows, which is a nice excursion during a New England winter. This year, I checked out the Local Food Trade Show that is put on by the Sustainable Business Network of Boston. It was held at Russells Garden Center in Wayland, Massachusetts. WOW! I have no words for this place and the trade show. I will try my best, so here goes…(without Chatgpt)
About Russell's Garden Center
February is always busy with trade shows, which is a nice excursion during a New England winter. This year, I checked out the Local Food Trade Show that is put on by the Sustainable Business Network of Boston. It was held at Russells Garden Center in Wayland, Massachusetts. WOW! I have no words for this place and the trade show. I will try my best, so here goes…(without Chatgpt)
Russell’s Garden Center is by far the largest greenhouse/retail space I’ve ever been to in my life. Now, as an avid gardener, I have visited many great nurseries and garden shops. Russell’s is almost like Disney World for gardening-loving families. Well, I’ve never been to Disney World, but I know that unique places like these make visitors walk in awe. Room after room after room, is a discovery of abundant creations, from floral arrangements to birdhouses to kids’ toys to succulent arrangements. The collection of garden decor is never-ending. The buildings are a maze, and full of wondrous plants. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Even though it was dead of winter, one greenhouse was just full of bright, colorful flowers. I was stunned by all the color. I really wish that I could have discovered this place earlier…I would have picked some plants for one of the photo shoots with Naked Root! There were so many interesting, colorful blooms, it was like, spring comes early here at Russell’s!
When I first arrived at Russell’s Garden Center, because of the snow I had to park in a weird area and ended up coming into one of the entrances at Russell’s. It was not the entrance to the Local Food Trade Show, I literally just saw the big retail door and naturally thought this was the place. It turns out, the trade show was on the other side, and so I ended up wandering through different areas of Russell’s before arriving to the Trade Show. Of course, I had to stop and take a few photos because I was just in awe of this place. In my wanderings, I ran into one trade show exhibitor, ironically from High Lawn Farm, a dairy farm & cheesemaker and one of the top businesses I wanted to meet at the show! What a coincidence! We both were staring at the garden center’s displays and products in amazement. So here are some snapshots!
About the Local Food Trade Show
The Local Food Trade Show is a show where early stage and regional food brands in New England showcase their products for retailers. I’m so thankful for an event like this, because I have been working with several farm stands/stores in Connecticut, and sometimes it’s hard to discover locally made products for these farm stores to feature. Last year, we were looking for hot sauces. We never settled on one, but I think this year we will look into these, and offer a few new things. A trade show like this was an amazing way to learn more about local food businesses and the stories behind the products. So I am excited for this year’s growth among all our businesses, farms, new products, and exploring what new items I can help these farm stands sell. My friends consider me kind of like a “connector” person, so naturally, I love trade shows!
One thing that stood out to me with these businesses at the show was the level of passion. I’ve been to many trade shows, and especially with the larger shows, it’s just so many vendors, and so many brand ambassadors (hired gig workers) it’s hard to build any connection or get good answers for questions. With the Local Food Trade Show, it was amazing to actually meet the actual owners or makers themselves! They are the real brains behind the business. Their passion for the product is unmatched. I was really encouraged and uplifted by these businesses and what these owners have created. In a world of chaos and craziness, I really loved how these business owners have created products that not only taste good, but make you feel good. It was also really amazing to see how important family was to these businesses, and how some of the products were kind of an extension of the legacy of their mom’s, family, etc.
I didn’t have enough time to visit all of the booths! But I managed to grab some snapshots of some booths. I am excited for the future growth of these brands that exhibited, and looking forward to seeing their products in more places!
Note, these photos are by no means representative of my photography work, this is just what naturally happens when I take a camera with me to explore new places!
