Jun 25, 2015
GCA Will Head to Portland for 2016 Tour

Next year's GCA Summer Tour is headed to Portland, Oregon, for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the garden centers that make this Northwestern market a hub of retail innovation.

Next year’s GCA Summer Tour is headed to Portland, Oregon, for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the garden centers that make this Northwestern market a hub of retail innovation. The announcement was made by Jeff Morey, Garden Centers of America’s (GCA) co-director, during the GCA Summer Tour Milwaukee, which wrapped to rave reviews from attendees.

“Portland has always held a special place in my ‘gardening heart’ since my first trip there as a teenager,” Morey says. “From the Portland Japanese Garden and the International Rose Test Garden overlooking the city, to the wealth of tremendous garden centers doing business there, this Northwestern gem is a must-see. If you’ve never been, you have to go; if it’s been a while, it’s time to get back.

The natural beauty in this part of the world is breathtaking.” Kris Shepard, owner of Caan’s in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and a member of the GCA Leadership Council, speaks for the group’s excitement at the announcement: “Portland is a treasure trove of merchandising and retail inspirations for IGC retailers. I still go back to the library of photos I took from our visits to Portland garden centers back in 2009 —there is so much to discover there.”

In addition to touring Portland garden centers, plans are being made now to take attendees to a major grower and principal plant supplier to IGC retailers across the nation. Watch for the late-June dates and destinations of next year’s tour to be announced in the coming months.

For more information about the benefits of membership in GCA, visit www.gardencentersofamerica.com.