For more than 40 years, Gloria Still and her dedicated staff have brought personalized service and one-of-a-kind garden treasures to new and veteran gardeners from all around her Lawrenceville location.
Watching customers wander the rows of plants is a pleasant experience. Still Lake draws people in with a serene pond, pops of color and an intriguing yellow house that begs to be explored. Long-time customers as well as first timers are greeted with a huge smile. If you are from “around here”, you know a Gloria Still smile from the moment you turn into the driveway. That same smile has greeted brides, new homemakers, prom, pageant and homecoming participants and passionate gardeners for as many years as anyone will admit. It is a welcoming smile meant to make you feel at ease, at home and like family in the gardens. “We try to make every customer feel special,” says Gloria. “We want to grow the best and highest quality plants from the best possible plugs, seed and soil available.”
The whole staff at Still Lake seems to share in the feeling that everyone is family at the nursery. “Dolores (McCullough) is a true artist as many of the staff are,” says Gloria. “Still Lake Baskets are always beautiful.” Of her greenhouse manager, Carol Shannon, Gloria says, “She works hard each year to research new varieties and find interesting new plants for us.” The entire staff is indispensable and seems to move fluidly between the tasks at hand with an ease that can only come from loving your job. Ken Still added many details to the interview without ever taking his eyes off of the petunias he was trimming back to encourage new growth. It was a peaceful scene that caused several customers to pause just a moment and watch him work. Stephen Still and Jimmy Cook can often be found every morning taking care of the watering and restocking plants.
Sill Lake offers more than just seasonal plants. Their full-service floral designers, Sher, Linda and Valerie create signature displays for weddings, special events, funerals, parties and all sorts of festivities. “Brides are especially fun to work with because many times they have grown up wearing corsages that came from us and they are starting a new part of their lives,” states Gloria.
Weddings and new babies are a joy to celebrate, but Still Lake also offers other services which are more somber and create a need for dignity and true sense of customer service. “With a funeral, we feel like we are able to offer our sincerest sympathy along with doing the nicest job on the last service we can do for a person,” says Gloria. “It is very important to the families and to us.” At a recent funeral, one very special Still Lake Basket brought comfort from the South Gwinnett Alumni Association to one of their own who had just lost her mother. “The basket was beautiful,” says Tammy Shirley Thompkins. “It is just like Ms. Gloria to send something so pretty.”
Ms. Gloria’s suppliers have always found the unique and special for the nurseries. For many years, girls headed to homecoming at South Gwinnett have looked forward to the oversized “football” mums with a simple glittery “S” made of blue pipe cleaners in the middle of the flower. “I remember those flowers being brought in for the Friday night football game in long, flat boxes,” says Mandy Snell. “Ms. Gloria found a source for those same oversized mums and donated them for our multi-year reunion last fall.” The special flowers with the same simple “S” in the middle were placed on the dining tables as centerpieces for the reunion.
Shopping at Still Lake is like a tranquil escape. One new customer was heard saying,” I just didn’t know what to expect, but this is such a delight.” Friendly greetings were called out as people wound their way through the yard past blooming roses and flats of pretty annuals. One loyal Still Lake customer, Sherry Blalock, enjoyed at least an hour of choosing plants for her summer color display guided by “The Basket Lady” Dolores McCullough’s artistic talents for blending the right plants for the best visual and scented impact. “This is the lady who knows it all,” says Sherry. “I have been coming here for a long time and they offer the best plants and service.”
One of the secrets to remaining a success in a world of big-box stores is based on attention to detail, personal customer service, and providing some truly unique choices. “We grow lots of unusual peppers and tomatoes,” says Carol (greenhouse manager). Heirloom and newly developed tomatoes are ready now and are covered in little yellow blossoms showing a promising yield. This year’s offerings also include “Mighty Mato” tomatoes. An assortment of varieties of tomatoes are grafted with a more hardy type to produce a bumper crop that combines the best of both worlds.
With the words, “Please make yourself at home”, Gloria Still smiles her genuine smile at all who come through the gate to wander the yards, greenhouses and floral shop looking for just the right “something” to go in the garden or on the table. It is a greeting that conveys the sense of family at Still Lake Nursery that is obvious after just a few minutes of observation. At each turn, there is at least one of the dedicated staff available to answer questions and help combine plants into a “just right” display. Everyone inside is relaxed and at ease. The smell of rosemary floats through the air from a cleverly-placed plant that is slightly stirred when customers walk by, carrying with it the subtle scent of an old-fashioned garden. At Still Lake, old-fashioned values and customer care are as simple as treating everyone like family.
Visit www.stilllakenursery.com for more information.
