‘Tired’ owner pulls plug on Fishers garden center

About 600 people turned out Saturday to bid on equipment and inventory—including lawn art, shrubs and trees—from a Fishers garden center that is closing after nearly a decade.

The “inventory reduction” sale at Seasons Gardens ran from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., said Seth Seaton, Key Auctioneers’ director of real estate.

Seasons Gardens sold off its garden center inventory and equipment April 20. (Photo courtesy of Key Auctioneers)

Business owner Michael Akin said he is closing the retail operation to pursue a career as a travertine stone distributor. He also may continue to offer landscape design services on his own.

In addition to the retail garden center, Seasons Gardens provided landscape design, landscape and hardscape installation and sold water features and pond supplies.

Seasons Gardens opened at the southeast corner of Cumberland Road and 126th Street in 2004, Akin said, and at its peak had about 25 employees. The business now employs three people, he said.

“There was just too much overhead to make it work,” Akin said, given the competition from “nine box [home-improvement] stores within 10 miles.”

The property, which includes a 9,120-square-foot, two-story building and 4.4 acres of commercially zoned land, is on the market for $975,000. Akin said he will continue to use the site until it sells.

Saturday’s auction raised enough money to pay the business’ taxes and allow the company to avoid bankruptcy, Akin said, but he and his partners will not recoup their investments.

“It was an unfortunate combination of things,” he said of the company’s demise. "Mostly, I'm just tired. This is a tough business."