Pete Pike Museum opening and fall festival
8 a.m. - 7 p.m. today
The Family Tree Gardening Center
1983 Main St. Snellville
770-972-2470; www.familytreeinc.com
Avid Atlanta gardeners know the slogan, “Come play in the dirt,” has long been the motto of Pike Nurseries. What they may not know is that such a catchy phrase is more than an ad line for Pete Pike, the 84-year-old founder of the company that bears his name.
“I have always played in the dirt,” contends Pike, who grew up in Logansville and now lives in Stone Mountain. “As a youngster, I went to work on a farm. I had a red wagon that I’d drag around to neighbors to collect scraps for my hog. When I came to Atlanta, I worked at a nursery where we promoted flowers and beauty.”
After a stint in the Navy, Pike opened his first nursery off Georgia 41 just north of Buckhead in the late 1950s. His wife painted wooden signs they propped up on the street to advertise the business. Pike pulled ivy from nearby woods, put it in flats and rooted it for sale. With three little kids, having a fledgling business was tough.
“I thought if I failed, I’d just to back into the Navy,” he said. “But people saw those signs and started coming in. I think they felt sorry for me! But really, everyone was so nice to me that the business grew.”
Over the years, the company grew like a proverbial weed, winding up with 26 retail and wholesale locations, more than 1,000 employees and more than $100 million in sales. Pike put his success to work supporting causes such as Children’s Healthcare, Oakland Cemetery and Alzheimer’s research.
In 2004, he sold the business, but six years later, he was back to digging, this time helping his daughter, Dana Pike-Van Vlake, at her 5-acre Family Tree Garden Center in Snellville.
And he is still focused on doing something for the community. One dream he had recently became a reality: The Pete Pike Museum, a new addition to the Family Tree center, depicts Pike’s life through photos and artifacts. It emphasizes the value of hard work, building relationships and integrity.
“I thought if I put up a museum that went back to my childhood and look at how we’ve progressed, it would inspire others not to give up,” said Pike.
That’s just what the museum does, said Van Vlake, who grew up in the family business.
“It shows the progression of one man and his determination,” she said. “It’s about how he never gave up.”
Today, Van Vlake and her father will be on hand for the garden center’s second Fall Festival that will also double as the museum’s grand opening. There will be raffles, cooking demonstrations, gardening tips from master gardeners, music, food, a petting zoo, pumpkin painting and kids’ activities. A portion of the day’s sales will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association.
“I have never forgotten how everybody was nice to me when I was starting out,” said Pike. “My goal is still to go to work and help as many people as I can.”
Each Saturday, we shine a spotlight on a local neighborhood, city or community. To suggest a place for us to visit, e-mail H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or call 770- 744-3042.
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