GOOD HOPE, Ala. – The blooms and color were bursting at the official ribbon-cutting held Friday morning at Gibbs Garden Center in Good Hope. City officials joined the Gibb’s family and the staff of the popular garden center as they celebrated the event.
Mayor Jerry Bartlett joked after the ribbon was cut, “This has been a process that has been going on for at least a year–and–a–half. This stuff is way too slow for me. I want stuff to happen right now, but it just doesn’t happen that way.” He added, “There’s a lot going on here and we are so proud that this business is located in Good Hope.”
Gibbs Garden Center is located at 5847 County Road 616, along I-65. The visibility from the interstate attracts many visitors to the garden center and Good Hope. “We appreciate the traffic. We appreciate the jobs and most of all, we appreciate the taxes!” Barlett quipped.
Owner Dusty Gibbs, who was joined by his wife Heather and daughter Zoe, said to those joining in the celebration, “We are excited to be here. I want to thank the council for all the help and support through this. Leaving Holly Pond was a tough decision. That’s where I grew up, where I lived and where I went to school. Those people have supported us for 15 years.”
Gibbs spoke of his employees as he fought back tears, “I wish I had every one of my employees here with me right now. I want y’all to know how much I appreciate you. There’s no way I could have done it without you. We are ecstatic to be here, and we are ready to hit the ground running. We want to welcome all of y’all and thank everybody.”
He said of his staff, “We have the best in the business.”
Following remarks by Bartlett, Gibbs and Corey Harbison, guests were treated to refreshments and a tour of the sprawling garden center. Gibbs thanked the former landowner, “The McElroy family was tremendous to deal with. This was their homeplace and an emotional thing for them to do. I truly believe that the prayers of Mr. McElroy are still being answered today.”
Gibbs said of his goals with the new center in Good Hope, “We set out to build a destination garden center with state-of-the-art facilities that would allow us to grow a premium product and affordable prices. I think we have done that.”
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