David Shiach will see a long-held dream come true with the opening of a new Aberdeen garden centre this week.
And what’s more, the premises on the top floor of the Bon Accord Centre is thought to be the only garden centre in the UK based inside a shopping mall.
The Green House has sprouted up on the upper floor, in a large unit that previously hosted Laura Ashley.
David has many years in the industry, working at Homebase in Portlethen and Bridge of Don before spending 18 years managing Stonehaven’s Kirktown Garden Centre.
David acted on dream following reflection during lockdown
As he was adding the final touches to the venue, the green-fingered gardening guru told us how the idea came to fruition.
He said: “I thought about having my own business on and off for a long time.
“Some years ago I looked into it, but nothing concrete came of it.
“Then I did that classic lockdown thing of sitting around the fire pit and drinking whisky and thinking ‘what do I want to do with the rest of my life?'”
David left the job he loved at Kirktown last summer to follow his ambitions.
At the time, retail was in a state of turmoil with high street staples collapsing as they buckled under the strain of the pandemic.
But David tells us he wasn’t daunted.
He explained: “It’s a funny thing… There is always this talk of the high street dying.
“But I think if you have got the experience, and know what you’re doing, then it can work.
“And I thought, if I don’t do it then who will do it?”
David also reckons that the “touchy-feely” nature of browsing for plants means people will continue to seek out bricks and mortar establishments rather than ordering online.
Why NOT open The Green House in a shopping centre?
When most of us think of garden centres, the image that springs to mind is of a large roadside complex with plenty of outdoor space…
David says that, as far as he is aware, The Green House is the “only one in Britain that’s in a shopping centre”.
He is content for now selling flowers in the unit once more synonymous with floral dresses.
But eventually, David would like to expand into outdoor space elsewhere in the city centre.
While he was musing his future during lockdown last year, more and more people took up gardening.
And he is hopeful that the increasing popularity of the pastime bodes well for his store.
David said: “When Kirktown reopened last year, it was ridiculously busy, every garden centre was.
“We had record day upon record day.
“People getting that love of gardening gives me a boost, and houseplants are having a real resurgence too.”
Scotland’s first city centre garden centre
David offered a word of praise for the Bon Accord Centre, after spending months discussing the move with them.
He added: “This all came about through chance, we actually first came here looking to pick up some redundant mannequins last summer and I was just driving the van!
“I got speaking to management about this shop, and it turned out fantastically.
“They are up for considering anything at the moment, and coming up with all this out of the box stuff.”
David expects the shop to be open for its first full day of trading on Wednesday.
Bon Accord Centre manager Craig Stevenson added: “The popularity of gardening has grown exponentially in the past couple of years, and we are delighted that Bon Accord has opened the first city centre garden centre in Scotland.
“The Green House joins other recent openings Curated Aberdeen and Scone in providing a showcase for the best north-east businesses can offer.”