It has been almost two months since Jaap and Sjoerd left for the US to visit a number of customers. Now is a good time to look back on this trip!
Cole Gardens
Monday 5 February 2024 Jaap and Sjoerd left for the US to visit a number of clients. Via Iceland, they flew to Boston and after an overnight stay, they drove to Concord, New Hampshire to visit Jane and Doug Cole of Cole Gardens. Cole Gardens is a huge nursery with a garden centre attached, selling Sneeboer garden tools both offline and online. It was good to see each other again after years and we had a good conversation over American lunch, after which Jaap and Sjoerd ended the day on top of Boston’s 220m-high Prudential Tower.
Detroit Garden Works
Next up was Detroit! Tuesday was the short morning flight from Boston to Detroit. After some challenges with the rental car at the airport, Jaap and Sjoerd drove just under an hour to Deborah, to Rob and Jackie of Detroit Garden Works. Detroit Garden Works has been selling Sneeboer garden tools for years, but the owner Deborah Silver is also a highly skilled garden designer and in addition they also make steel garden ornaments and pergolas under the Branch label. After a good talk, we had a comprehensive tour and had dinner afterwards at Deborah’s home. Such hospitality!
Fashion Designer
Next stop was NYC! Wednesday started with a drive to Detroit airport for a flight to New York City. After checking into the hotel on Roosevelt Island, Jaap and Sjoerd headed into town for a meeting with a well-known fashion designer. We can’t reveal too much about it at the moment, but something very special will be presented at the Chelsea Flower Show 2024! Afterwards, we had a drink with Rob Houtenbos, another West Frisian who has lived in NYC for many years.
Gardenheir
The next location is Upstate New York, to the gentlemen of Gardenheir! On Thursday, we scheduled a visit to Gardenheir in Windham, Upstate New York. A 2.5-hour trip took Jaap and Sjoerd from downtown NYC to the mountains with its ski slopes.
Gardenheir is a rapidly growing shop and webshop, selling not only gardening tools but also other garden-related items such as clothing and shoes focused on quality. The shop is fantastically decorated and Alan and Christopher are doing a great job! Jaap and Sjoerd spent the whole afternoon there and discussed, among other things, new products, challenges with shipping and expectations for the coming year. We are convinced that Christopher and Alan are going to make it another great year!
The Madoo Conservancy
On Friday, Jaap and Sjoerd stayed in NYC. On the High Line, Jaap and Sjoerd met Alejandro, from The Madoo Conservancy in The Hamptons. Accompanied by Alejandro, they walked the entire High Line from south to north. Alejandro has lived in the city for years and was the perfect guide. The High Line is a very special place in NYC; in fact, it is an old train track that has been redeveloped into an elevated garden. The design comes from Piet Oudolf from the Netherlands.
After the High Line, they walked to the garden on the Hudson called Little Island. Again, a very special part of the city. After all this walking, it was time for lunch in West Village. Over lunch, they discussed the collaboration and there is much to look forward to in 2024.
Alejandro, thanks for the top care and hopefully see you soon!
After this, Jaap and Sjoerd walked to the 9-11 memorial and then viewed the city from 340m high on the observation deck of the One World Trade Center. The day ended with a tour of Wall Street and the NYSE.
The Garden Tool Co
The next day was scheduled for Texas, to visit Anne and Blake from The Garden Tool Co. Once we arrived in Austin, Jaap and Sjoerd went with Anne and Blake from Garden Tool Co. to sports bar Ringo’s On The River, Kerrville to watch the Superbowl! The following day, Jaap and Sneeboer visited the headquarters of The Garden Tool Co, where we were welcomed by Anne and Blake and their four dogs.
The whole day was spent discussing (garden) tools, the US market and whether there are any Sneeboer tools missing that would fit in well with this market. The day ended with a super tasty Texas bbq!
It was a very successful trip and until next time America!