gardenWhen you’re In the Garden at 1405 Cedar Post, you know you’re in a very special haven within Spring Branch. Owner Suzan Galvan, who became a naturalized citizen in 2012, brought with her from England a unique aesthetic which shows in the little retail shop that sprang from her husband Frank’s landscaping business.

“We started collecting unusual pieces of yard art that Frank could incorporate into his landscapes, and so it was a natural progression that we opened our own retail location. But we wanted it to be different; we wanted our customers to find things they would not find in other bigbox retail garden shops.”

The shop’s inventory includes many garden antiques she said, including 1880s cast-iron benches, architectural salvage, and statuary imported from England. It’s meant for those who like something different, whether they are well-traveled or are interested in European things, Galvan added.

“My British roots definitely come out in the way we do things around here. We have a little bit of Europe right here in the middle of Spring Branch, but people have also compared us to garden shops in Fredericksburg and Old Town Spring.”

During the Christmas season, the shop is filled with cyclamen and poinsettias, and also fresh bundles of mistletoe that her 16-year-old son, Steffan, takes on as his seasonal business. He harvests the mistletoe from the tops of hackberry and mesquite trees, bags it in $5 bunches and ties it up with ribbon, she said. Springtime at In the Garden is colorful and bright, and the shop carries specialty items from the Brookwood Community. Galvan said her customers like to be able to support this residential, entrepreneurial village which supports adults with functional disabilities without having to travel to Brookshire to do so.

As Spring Branch has changed and expanded, she said she sees a lot more customers coming from the south side of I -10, from the Memorial and Hedwig Villages to her business just west of Blalock.

“Customers love us because we’re so local that they don’t have to fight traffic to get to us. The success of the business over the past 14 years has depended on building relationships—and customers become close friends.”

“I have husbands coming in looking for gifts for their wives,” she said, “And I can tell them exactly what their wives have been eyeing during the course of the year.” — Quotes by Suzan Galvan

713-932-7652 | www.inthegardenhouston.com

2 Comments
  1. jim rohr March 5, 2014 at 12:56 am

    It’s a great store and Susan is very helpful. The drive is well worth the treasures at the end of the raibow.

    • Gretchen Larson March 12, 2014 at 11:16 pm

      Glad you enjoyed the article!

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