For today’s installment of our holiday shopping series, we talk to Nancy Kline Gorkin, owner of Earth Garden on South Avenue.
Here’s our conversation.
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New Canaanite: Please give our readers a little background on Earth Garden—how long you’ve been in town and an overview of what you offer.
Amaryllis, a winter-blooming bulb available from the holidays through January—taking the place of orchids during the holidays, for many. Most of the shop’s Amaryllis designs have three stalks so they last for months, $100 at Earth Garden, 13 South Ave. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
Nancy Kline Gorkin: We’ve been around New Canaan for 32 years. And we’ve been downtown for the past 10 years. We were originally in the Playhouse building, but moved after Christmas last year, and then opened this spot in February of 2023. So this is still our first holiday season here.
How’s it going? What’s your sense of the foot traffic this holiday season?
The foot traffic is a little different than Elm Street. We don’t get a lot of people wandering in, but people that are looking for us, find us. And they come in to buy something.
And what are people looking for this year?
Definitely planted creations—orchids, amaryllis, cut flowers, flower arrangements. gift items. This is a much bigger space than we had before, so we have more to offer.
You’ve been here for so long in New Canaan. What’s it like being a business downtown during the holidays?
Cypress pot, $65 at Earth Garden, 13 South Ave. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
It’s great. The community is very supportive of local businesses, especially independently owned and women-owned. So we have a pretty loyal following and we offer excellent customer service and daily deliveries. That’s one of our key things.
I see your planted creations, as well as other items here. Can you give me an idea of what else you offer?
Everything is nature inspired in the shop. Our gift items work with the natural environment, so we don’t do a lot of Santa’s or lots of red things. We do more nature-inspired gift items. And candles are a big part of our business. Anything that helps to do a table setting. Garlands that serve as runners for the table.
How are we doing in terms of pressing up against the holiday itself? Is this you’re cutoff in terms of people being able to order things?
Mixed planted garden, ranging from $75 to $200 in different sizes at Earth Garden, 13 South Ave. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
Not yet, no. We’re a very last minute business. We do same-day deliveries and we’ll deliver all the way through Christmas Eve.
What would you say to someone who still has that work ahead of them but maybe hasn’t had a chance to stop into the shop yet?
Call us, text us, email us, we’ll be able to turn it around very quickly.
Earth Garden at 13 South Ave. (here on Instagram) is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.