By Aidan Collins
Sterling Greenery, a renowned garden and landscape design center in New England, has added a
second store location at 242 Pleasant Street in Paxton, officially known as “Sterling Greenery Too.”
The company, which was founded by Mark and Karen Packard, began as a small lawn care company
called Total Lawn Care in 1996. In the last 25 years, Sterling Greenery and its consumer base has
grown significantly. With the addition of a new store location, the company continues to offer excellent
home improvement products and services for the residents of Massachusetts.
When asked about the decision to open a second store location, founder and co-owner Mark
Packard made it clear that it was very much a spontaneous, natural decision. The store, which sits on
6.5 acres of agricultural land, is a beautiful, picturesque wooden structure with all the characteristics of
a classic New England townhouse. The property was previously owned by Pleasant View Nurseries –
a successful garden center that was founded over 30 years ago by Hank Kennan. Upon learning
about Hank’s retirement from the gardening business, Mark Packard saw a great opportunity for
Sterling Greenery to take its place. “When we heard about Hank retiring, we called immediately and
were able to work out a deal quick enough to open on May 4th,” Packard says. The decision to choose
Paxton specifically was advantageous due to its close proximity to their Sterling location. “Paxton is
close enough to our existing store to share inventory and help with deliveries” he says.
While the Paxton location is still in the early stages of its development, the store currently has more
than enough products for customers to begin their own home landscaping projects. “Our Paxton
location will eventually offer everything we have in Sterling.” says Packard. “Right now, we have a
good selection of shrubs, trees, perennials, annuals, herbs, veggies as well as bulk items like mulch,
loam and compost. We will be adding more products every week including water garden supplies,”’ he
says. Sterling Greenery Too will also be offering a full line of koi pond supplies including water plants
and fish.
Sterling Greenery is a family operation at its core. Mark and Karen’s two children, Kali and Kyle, are
both heavily involved in the business as well. Kali is in charge of scheduling for Sterling Greenery,
while Kyle is in charge of the company’s shipping department. A significant part of maintaining Sterling
Greenery’s “family feel” is to cultivate that same familial relationship with each of its clients and
customers. Creating a welcoming shopping experience for customers to ask questions is something
that Mark and Karen have always seen as incredibly important. They achieve this through the
combination of great products, and a knowledgeable and friendly staff. With Sterling Greenery Too, the
Packard’s are unwavering in their ability to create a similarly pleasant shopping experience for each
and every customer that walks through their doors.