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Pat Sullivan, owner of three Sullivan’s Hardware & Garden stores in central Indiana, purchased the Allisonville Nursery Garden & Home center in Fishers last week for $5 million with plans to expand its indoor footprint and retail offerings.
After more than 40 years as the nursery’s founder and owner, Jeff Gatewood, 65, decided last fall to retire and put his five-acre business at 11405 Allisonville Road up for sale. Following the transaction, the business is called Allisonville Garden & Home by Sullivan.
As Gatewood plots a move to the country and perhaps running a Christmas tree farm, Sullivan is gearing up to make significant changes without straying from the nursery’s core offerings.
“When we started, it was strictly a nursery—just trees and shrubs. That’s always been the backbone of our business,” Gatewood said. “I’m sure they will continue that, and grow that category as they can.”
Sullivan plans to add 14,000 square feet to the existing 7,500-square-foot garden store and gift shop. He said he’ll fill that space with more garden-related goods, such as hoses, fertilizer, grills, long-handled tools, patio furniture—and forgo the heavier hardware featured at his other stores.
If all goes well, the plan is to start construction in late summer.
“It’s already successful in its own right,” Sullivan said. “It’s kind of a premier garden center in the area. They’re the top of everything. Largely, we’ll just build on what’s there.”
Sullivan said the store has 77 employees, including seasonal workers. He said the staff will stay largely intact. Sullivan is even planning to add a handful of new employees as he expands the Allisonville Garden & Home evening hours.
One element Sullivan does want to carry over from his store at 6955 N. Keystone Ave. is the wider sense of the business as an entertainment venue. Although he’s not confirmed another Sullivan Santa Express holiday feature or Sully’s Grill eatery, he’s hoping to continue a tradition of hosting events such as wedding receptions and baby showers and Valentine’s Day dinners.
“Everything we do, we ask, ‘What can we do to get people out of their pajamas to come to our stores?’ ” Sullivan said.
Editor’s note: The story has been updated to correct the name of Allisonville Nursery Garden & Home.
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Bring Sully’s with you, congrats Pat and family. Welcome to Fishers!
Congrats Pat and family. Looking forward to seeing Santa Express and other creative and fun things I expect you will add!
Welcome to Fishers. We like pizza in Fishers so don’t worry about bring Sully with you but as we say in Fishers – “Keep bringing the Pizza, Scotty!!!!
So unoriginal Frank. Please stop beating the dead horse (same comment, every story).
@Frank’s just upset there’s one fewer pizza establishment now that Brixx has closed.
Well Glen – since you say “please” I might just consider discontinuing the pizza comment though I don’t put it on every Fishers story.
What do you other IBJ readers think? Should I retire the pizza comment or should we continue to have a little laughter once in a while? Especially since very few people comment anymore on IBJ articles.
Let’s have the people decide – pizza comment or no pizza comment?
How about just deleting your account? That would be more productive!
Let it go. Move on.
Still makes me smile. If it makes you happy keep going. It’s not hurting anyone.
I’m on OK with a little laughter, but your pizza comments don’t provide it. Time to retire it.
He can call it whatever he wants, but as for IBJ, I have to wonder who called it the “Allisonville Garden & Home”. In the 31+ years I’ve lived in FIshers, I’ve never heard it called anything but (and the picture concurs) the “Allisonville Nursery”.
I like Ace hardware near there.
Area is too congested. We avoid it like the plague.
Agreed Phillip P.—“Allisonville Nursery by Sullivan” seems better.
Best wishes for a successful transition to the new store Pat! Quality staff and great values make the store a must.. when I am in Fishers.