Local Business Spotlight: Hatcher’s Greenhouse

Now more than ever it is important to support small businesses and shop local, which should not be very hard if they all are as great as this local greenhouse.

Hatcher’s Greenhouse is a family owned local business in Chesapeake Ohio located at: 8794 County Road 1 South Point, Ohio. All of Hatcher’s plants (other than their pumpkins and trees) are grown in one of their nine expansive greenhouses. Hatcher’s bought their greenhouse, previously called Finches’ Greenhouse, in 1994, and it has been thriving ever since. They expanded Finches’ singular greenhouse to nine separate greenhouses.  Hatcher’s is the perfect place to take fall pictures, pick up some cute house plants, or buy pumpkins to carve.

This gorgeous array of plants and seasonal decoration is only 14 minutes away from Marshall’s campus making it a perfect place for you to find house plants and other deorations to add some much-needed life to your gloomy dorm room or apartment. They even have a large supply of the popular picture perfect Monstera plants (shown above). 

When you first walk into Hatcher’s, you are greeted by their kind employees and the adorable greenhouse dog, Maddie, who is more than happy to keep you company and play fetch while you walk around and browse.

Hatcher’s is finishing up its Fall season at the beginning of November, but they still have many pumpkins to buy for all those who love pumpkin carving and jack o’ lanterns. They even have a large supply of white pumpkins and other types of decorative gourds. Did you know that white pumpkins, which are genetically engineered to have their white color, still have an orange interior when you carve into them?

I definitely didn’t.

I talked with Brooklyn Ward, an employees at Hatcher’s, who recently graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in horticulture and has a passion for all plants. She had many insights about the greenhouse and how many people have become disconnected from nature. She explained that our minds are trained to allow nature and plants to fade into the background since we focus on moving objects first due to our inherit survival skills. However, at Hatcher’s Greenhouse where plants take center stage it would be difficult to not feel more connected with nature and its beauty. Brooklyn also revealed that the Hatchers family lives on the property in a cottage beside their pumpkin display. I can’t think of a better way to wake up than to a view of endless pumpkins and stunning fall flowers.

Like many small businesses right now, Hatcher’s has taken a hit during the pandemic. Unlike many other greenhouses, Hatcher’s is usually able to maintain two locations of greenhouses and stay open during the winter. They normally keep the greenhouse running mainly off their sales of Christmas trees and fresh garland. However, due to the pandemic they were not able to open their secondary location and will not be keeping the greenhouse open throughout the winter. This is difficult for the owners of the greenhouse and the employees who will be laid off for the winter season as they are not needed to clean throughout winter.

This is why supporting locally owned businesses is so important and especially important during the Covid-19 pandemic. Shopping locally also means that you are able to connect with the people who create or in the case of Hatcher’s grow the product you are buying. For me, the atmosphere and quality of Hatcher’s greenhouse prompted me to message many family members and friends after I left to tell them that they needed to stop by and see the greenhouse before it closes for the winter season.

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