For 25 years, Birdsall Co. lured gardeners to peruse and purchase gurgling fountains, chic outdoor furnishings, sturdy trellises, unusual pottery, statement statuary, lighting, and other cultivated garden accoutrements.
Proprietor John Ludwig started his store at 1540 S. Broadway with just 500 square feet, eventually expanding to 3,700 square feet — and 8,000 square feet of exterior showroom space.
In garden-speak, that’s more than a quarter acre.
Ludwig plans to pull up stakes and retire Oct. 1. But it won’t be the end for the Denver lifestyle institution.
“The Birdsall name continues, which is wonderful,” said Ludwig, who christened the shop with his mother’s maiden name. “Customers will be pleased that the store is being taken over by creative people.”
Scott and Annie Huston, husband and wife owners of the Denver landscape firm Columbine Design, have all but inked the deal to be the new owners. They intend to preserve the Birdsall brand that’s become known for high quality
and a sophisticated aesthetic.
But the Hustons will implement significant changes. For starters, they’ll open on Sundays. (The store will close Monday-Sept. 30 for its final cleanup, then reopen Oct. 1).
The new store will engage more in social media, though it will not sell anything online. “I believe people need to come and touch and see and feel,” said Annie Huston. “My dream is to create a place of beauty to browse and get a little peace and pleasure. We hope eventually to serve coffees and teas and waters. … We really want to become the Tattered Cover of garden stores — a community place where people can wander freely and enjoy.”
Over the past generation, as growing seasons wound down in Denver, Ludwig’s business would go into a semi-dormant state, too. The Hustons plan to ratchet up autumnal and winter celebrations at the store.
“For the first time, Birdsall’s will offer fall items, and we’ll do a full-blown Christmas,” Huston said. “I love the holiday season, and we’ll have cut trees and fresh wreaths and berries and branches. I refuse to carry anything artificial.”
She said the store will establish a library of reference books for customers seeking inspiration, and offer hands-on classes such as making terrariums, creating winter arrangements or planting spring containers.
In the store’s courtyard, they plan to construct themed vignettes such as a Provence garden, a rooftop garden, and water gardens. Columbine Design’s landscape architects might be on hand to assist homeowners with garden plans.
The Hustons also will sell plants, particularly unusual species, or more common plants in spectacular colors. Merchandise choices will be guided by Annie’s native French eye.
“I like simple elements that are elegant. They reach deep into people at a level they don’t realize and make them feel a certain way,” Huston said.
“I don’t look at what is the popular color this year or ask, ‘Do I want something modern or classical?’ I consider the overall emotion a piece brings out in me.”
The Hustons will stock merchandise by Colorado artists and artisans, as well as one-of-a-kind items chosen on their international travels.
“We will have some meet-and-greet-the-artist celebrations throughout the year,” she said.
Ludwig, trained as a landscape architect, opened Birdsall Co. when he tired of the rigors of the design-and-build industry. “I’ll miss the customers,” he said. “We’ve become good friends.”
Ludwig and his wife plan to spend six months of the year in Denver and the other six in their Michigan house on a large piece of property fronting a small lake.
“It’s a slice of heaven. The house is right on the edge of the lake, and there are no motors on the lake, so it’s totally quiet,” Ludwig said.
The Ludwigs intend to kayak, travel, and, naturally, to garden.
“We have a huge vegetable garden,” Ludwig said. “Gardening is nourishing.”
Meanwhile, during the shop’s transition, Birdsall Co.’s retirement sale offers deep discounts on most remaining merchandise.
Colleen Smith’s novel “Glass Halo” is set, in part, in Denver gardens.
