Palmer greenhouse owners celebrate grand opening

Beautiful flowers of all colors spilled over from hanging baskets and the smell of pollen and moist Earth filled the greenhouse as Gram’s Garden celebrated their grand opening over the weekend.

A steady line of customers poured in and out while owners Aaron and Rebecca “Becky” Rudd answered questions and helped customers carry their plants. Walking into the greenhouse felt like receiving a warm hug from Gram.

“We’re doing this after Gram. I think that she’d be feeling excited to feel just how we’re feeling,” Aaron said. “Being able to share this with the community and help keep the Valley beautiful.”

The Rudds have been posting on their social media everyday leading up to the grand opening and had a tremendous amount of engagement with the community, Becky said. Gram’s Garden partnered with other local businesses, like Baked With Love Cookie Shop, who offered a cookie or a cupcake for the first 75 customers. Signs from Mountaintop Metal Co. were proudly displayed on the greenhouse and customers visited Palmer Coffee Co. just steps from the front door. Aloha Blendz and Valley Dawgs were on site offering food and drink options on Saturday. Other gardens and greenhouses throughout the Valley were happy to share the message about their grand opening.

“Community excitement has been unreal,” Becky said. “We’ve really appreciated how excited everyone’s been to come check it out.”

Joining Aaron and Becky were friends and family from all over the country. Aaron’s mom, Sharon Rudd, the daughter of Gram for which the business is named, assisted customers and worked around the greenhouse. Aaron’s dad greeted customers at the door and his stepmom helped to fill in wherever she was needed. Aaron and Becky’s daughters helped work the cash register and brought a fun atmosphere to the greenhouse. Becky’s family traveled from Wisconsin and Minnesota to assist with the opening weekend and a family friend made a surprise appearance from the East Coast.

“To have the whole family here helping out and running the register, it’s fun,” Becky said.

A variety of vegetables filled the tables, including zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes. Flowers of different shapes, sizes and colors covered the tables, filled large pots on the ground and hung into the aisles. Flowers could be purchased as singles, four and six packs, hanging baskets and fully potted planters.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s getting your hands in the dirt,” Aaron said.

To prepare for the opening, Aaron and Becky have been working for over a year and a half to purchase and build the greenhouse, wire it with electricity, set up heat and install running water. The past few months have been busy planting flowers and bringing them up in time for spring. The success of their opening weekend has been a validation of their hard work and sweat equity.

“We start when the plugs are tiny, you don’t see color, you don’t see how they fill out,” Becky said. “The fun part is really designing what you think it’s going to look like and then two months later starting to see it fill out, the colors bloom and it’s really neat.”

Gram’s Garden, named after Aaron’s grandmother Doris Holland, was started in her memory and a passion and love for gardening she instilled in Aaron at a young age. Pictures of her and her family covered the wall behind the cash register for all to enjoy in the story.

“We really appreciate the community,” Aaron said. “People can really relate with Gram. A lot of people have a Gram and it’s been great to hear other stories.”

Gram’s Garden will be open Wednesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout the summer. It is located on South Margaret Drive, across the Glenn Highway from the Alaska State Fairgrounds.