Step back in time at Apache Seeds Limited
By Jerry Close and Tania Moffat A
pache Seeds Limited took root
in the spring of 1958. Two veteran seedsmen, Frank
Close and Leonard Vigneau, decided to open their garden centre in the fast- growing town of Jasper Place where, unlike neighbouring Edmonton, late night shopping was allowed all week. The company began modestly,
operating from a small rented space of approximately 1,400 square feet. The owner’s connections in the seed industry provided the garden centre with essential core items and a buyout of stock from a local general store gave the young company an invento- ry of hardware items, paint and glass. Expansion came quickly and by
1964 they had built and moved into their own new building. The rented space was
engine repair shop and Apache diver- sified into power equipment sales. (They were one of the first "Skidoo" dealers in Edmonton.) In trying to discover the perfect
niche for themselves, Frank and Leonard offered several atypical garden centre products and services. These included the manufacture of sweeping compound, skate sharpen- ing, lottery ticket sales and window and screen repairs, all of which even- tually gave way to the wide scope of nursery stock, seed, garden items and decor they offer today. Having found their groove, the
company invested in further expan- sion over the 1970s and 1980s. They increased their parking facilities, their outdoor display area for plant material and their interior shopping space. By the 1990s, a small green- house was erected behind the store and the company’s warehouse space was consolidated on the same city block. With the passage of time, some of
the tedious work disappeared, like the unenjoyable task of unloading fertilizers out of boxcars by hand. The advent of plastic cell packs removed
38 • Fall 2016
the need to carve out individual bedding plants from large wooden flats. The warehouse crew were overjoyed when a forklift became a permanent fixture. Looking back over the years,
there has been a plethora of oddi- ties and different merchandise cross- ing Apache's counters. Relics and retro items such as the original Chia Pets, Garden Weasels, Flymo floating mowers and of course the ubiquitous plastic pink flamingos. Today, stepping into Apache Seeds
can, to many, feels like a step back in time. The retro signage outside the shop has not changed much, it still advertises hardware items and paint, items they no longer carry. Part of the building retains its original 1960s construction with low, exposed, wooden beam ceilings adding to the nostalgic feel for customers walk- ing through the door. Inside, shop- pers can still make their purchases at counters the company has used for
decades, only now a modern POS system replaces the old cash register. While the building may retain its
historic ambiance today, Apache Seeds offers some of the newest products and trends on the market. Organic options for fertilizers and pest control are available, along with a full range of plant propagation supplies, garden tools, fertilizers, soil amendments, wild bird feeds and feeders, decor items and of course seed. Flower and vegetable seeds were
once carefully packaged by hand and larger seed volumes were weighed out on balance-beam and platform scales. And while Apache does have more modern digital scales in use, the company has and uses what can only be described as antiquated scales as well. One of them was used in the old City Market on what is now Churchill Square. Most seed packag- ing is done in volume by large firms nowadays, and Apache discontinued
localgardener.net converted into a small
Photos supplied by Apache Seeds.
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