Grimes Horticulture Closes After Almost 100 Years in Business

By Janeen Wright|October 21, 2020

After 95 years in business, Grimes Horticulture, based in Concord, OH, has closed its doors as of October 16. Director Gary Grimes announced in an email to horticulture industry friends that the company was closing because of an embezzlement, which was too much for the company to financially digest.

Grimes said further the company managed the timing of the closing carefully and has paid more than 95% of its obligations to vendors. The company will see that plant orders already placed for the current season will be fulfilled. It will also follow up with customers to assist with seed orders they have placed.

In 2015, Grimes Horticulture and Seeds by Design, a California-based wholesale vegetable and herb seed company with a reputation of creating market trends in a relatively traditional industry, formed a partnership to vet out future vegetable business prospects. The alliance was an important step for both companies to expand and take advantage of their individual strengths to offer growers more options and better varieties than were on the market at the time.

Many of Grimes’ exclusive varieties came from Seeds by Design’s breeding efforts. Those varieties are now available for license and can be purchased from other brokers, according to Patty Buskirk, President of Seeds by Design. Buskirk also says the company has already been contacted by many of Grimes’ previous customers, which the company has referred to other Seeds by Design dealers to fulfill their needs.

“Grimes and Seeds by Design truly had a unique marketing partnership,” Buskirk says . “It is a sad day when an almost 100-year-old company closes its doors. Life is ever changing. One very sorrowful aspect overlooked when a long-time business closes is the loss of experience. As the horticultural industry continues to consolidate, we are slowly losing our past employee experiences. I wish everyone at Grimes the best for the future.”