Ask Mark Sonney how many jobs he’s had in his lifetime and he’ll hold up one finger.
Since age 12, he has worked for Hazel Dell-based Yard ‘n’ Garden Land, the company his father, Roy Sonney, started 44 years ago.
Today Mark Sonney co-owns the business with his parents, aunt and two siblings. All of his children, nieces and nephews have worked there at some point, and his niece – Jessica Ball, the office and gift shop manager – is poised to become a partial owner.
Yard ‘n’ Garden Land covers four acres in Hazel Dell, including 10,000 square feet of indoor retail space. The business has 12 full-time, year-round employees and gains as many as 33 workers in spring and summer.
The VBJ talked with Sonney about his lifelong experience with his family, their business and the local gardening industry.
VBJ: What are your earliest memories of the family business?
Mark Sonney: “Before the property was developed, my brother and I had a truck and moved rocks and bricks, getting ready for development to occur. … Dad had been in the wood waste business, so as soon as he got access to the property, he started bringing those products on-site and selling them. … During the years, my mom would work seasonally running cash registers and making sales. My dad still comes down most every day and has a cup of coffee and asks how things are going. He’ll jump on a tractor and help if it’s busy.”
Did you expect this would be the only job you’d ever have?
“Growing up in the business, this was the job to do. (It meant) being involved on a daily basis, starting out at the bottom and finding out that this was where I wanted to be.”
When did things start to take off for Yard ‘n’ Garden Land?
“The company grew pretty quickly, especially when housing hit this area out here in Hazel Dell in the 1960s and 1970s. There wasn’t any place like our business in the area. … An old timer told me many years ago that when he found out my dad was going to open a garden store that far out in the county, he thought Dad was crazy. There was hardly anything out here, just vacant land.”
How is the business doing financially today?
“Being in the business for a long time, we’ve been through cycles. …We’ve averaged a 5 to 10 percent yearly increase in sales for the past 10 years. When times have been bad, we’ve still had an increase in sales.
But this time may be different. In September when things started tightening up, our sales did go down monthly. We hope to get that back up here in the spring.”
How have you seen the local gardening industry change over the years?
“Years ag,o we saw people on a regular basis that grew up here and lived here. Then people started moving in from other parts of the country – Colorado, California – bringing ideas of what they wanted, so we started carrying palm trees and desert-type plants. And most yards today are so much smaller than they used to be, so people went from having bigger pine trees to having more dwarfed plants.
Right now the business is more oriented to female shoppers, 25 to 40 years old, buying (plants) that are further along rather than planting seeds for gardens. … This year we’re seeing more seed sales and there is definitely more interest in fruits and vegetables. I think maybe people are realizing they can save a little money by starting (plants) themselves.”
Do you plan to open other locations in the future?
“I don’t think so. That’s something we’ve always thought about but we’ve talked with people that have done that and realized it’s very difficult. We’re not a business that is owned by a family that is not active in the business. We’re here every day. We work the business, we’re not a backer.”
Charity Thompson can be reached at cthompson@vbjusa.com.
