“We first started with
just perennials and herbs – that’s all we carried,”
Beck said. “Then, when they widened 116th Street,
there went our parking.”
But with the move to the “new property” –
which includes a home built by the Brooks family more than
100 years ago – Rita’s Backyard has blossomed,
if you will, into much more than just a plant shop.
After she bought out the Indianapolis-based Wells floral
business two years ago, the Carmel Grande Shop and most
recently the Flower Market in Noblesville, Beck broadened
her business base to offer fresh flowers.
What we’re trying to do is get our feet wet and get
our sea legs, and then we’re going to look at expanded
locations,” she said.
The barn is also home to a treasure trove of gifts, especially
at Christmastime, with different theme-decorated trees spaced
throughout the shop. Shop employee Belinda LeBlanc said
it took three weeks and several designers to decorate for
the holidays.
Not to be missed is the leg table lamp a la “Christmas
Story,” one of the most conversational pieces in the
shop. Customers have often bought an entire tree, decorations
and all.
LeBlanc said the shop plans to add another floor to the
barn to open up more space. But Beck has even more plans
for the gift shop that will give local artists an opportunity
to market their works.
A few artists are already on board – one woman selling
hand-painted ceramic tile trivets, another providing soft
sculpture decorations and an artist who specializes in excelsior
sculpture. Beck is also talking to a chainsaw artist to
display his works at the shop.
“It really wasn’t a conscious effort,”
Beck said. “People have come to us because of our
visibility, and have asked if we’d be interested in
their particular product.”
Beck said she will consider any local artist’s works,
but the selection will be discriminating.
We ask them to bring some things by, and then we’ll
make a decision at that point whether it’s something
that would fit in with our other product lines,” she
said. “The other thing is, it’s just kind of
nice to be able to help struggling artists get some exposure.”
Jason Morrall, the garden shop manager, has also displayed
and sold lawn-sized sculptures made of excelsior, a type
of celluloid fiber material.
The pieces that were in the back yard tour last year were
here and they sold, and from that I’ve sold about
three other pieces here in Fishers,” Morrall said,
adding he is thinking about holding a yearly event in the
shop’s gardens for local artists to bring in their
pieces for a weekend sale.
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