THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 10, 1995 TAG: 9505090112
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALLISON T. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SURRY LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
HIS TRADEMARK IS a straw hat, chipper blue eyes and quick laugh.
And his calling card is the free bits of gardening advice he dispenses to customers who want healthy, happy plants.
His name is Joe Holler.
But he is far better known as Farmer Joe to the folks who come from Surry, Smithfield and as far away as Williamsburg, Hampton and Richmond to buy plants and flowers from Farmer Joe's Greenhouse & Garden Shop in Surry, 12099 John Rolfe Highway.
``I think his sharing information without being overbearing is a drawing card for this business,'' says Marji Holler, his wife and partner.
``We are plant people. . . . Because Joe is friendly with people, he makes sure the customer buying the plant knows what kind of fertilizer it needs and that it is the best type of plant for a certain location.''
The Hollers opened Farmer Joe's last December. The tiny store is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Hollers expect the greenhouse to pull in most of the customers. The couple raises and sells a variety of hanging baskets, bedding plants and seasonal plants such as poinsettias and Easter lilies.
But Joe Holler, 60, is confident his wife's specialty - the garden gift shop - will thrive during the winter. The ``very unique'' store, he says, sells a smorgasbord of cut flowers, plant arrangements, unusual T-shirts and floral-oriented greeting cards and gifts.
The couple operated a greenhouse and garden center in Massachusetts for more than 30 years before they sold out in the 1980s to buy a farm in Vermont. He raised beef cattle and cultivated sugar maple trees.
But over the years, he continued missing his work in the greenhouse.
``I missed the greenhouse almost as soon as I sold it. But we moved to the farm because the business was taking so much time from the family and we wanted to spend more time together.''
Their search for a place to get back into the greenhouse business brought them to the South. They eventually bought a house in James City County and landed on the site in Surry County where they opened Farmer Joe's.
``We found a lot of complicated red tape when we were looking for a place to build a greenhouse in over there,'' Holler says, referring to James City County. ``But when we looked over here, Surry County welcomed us with open arms. County and town officials made it easy for us to set up this kind of business.
``This community has been overwhelmingly good to us. We have found a base of wonderful local support and are getting tremendous repeat business here.''
Once the business gets off the ground, they plan to move to Surry County, Marji Holler says.
``We moved to the countryside because we really like a slower pace of life,'' her husband adds. ``I like being in the country.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by ALLISON T. WILLIAMS
Joe Holler has opened Joe's Greenhouse & Garden Shop in Surry, 12099
John Rolfe Highway.
by CNB