After Arson, Lynde Greenhouse Preps for Spring Reopening
When owning a business, it’s necessary to make a number of important decisions. Especially when you operate a greenhouse that relies on plants to be ready for customers.
“We were able to start our pansies, which is always our earliest season crop,” said Derek Lynde, president of Lynde Greenhouse & Nursery in Maple Grove. “Aside from Easter lilies, which we just weren’t able to take on this year.”
However, Lynde has never faced the type of decisions that have come his way over the last five months.
“I’m learning a lot more about commercial construction projects than I ever wanted to know,” Lynde said.
Last October, an arsonist (or arsonists) destroyed two buildings at Lynde’s Greenhouse. One is where they did all of their production work, and the other housed offices, storage, heating equipment and tools.
“So when the fire was over, we didn’t even have a screwdriver,” Lynde said. “Everything was gone.”
Today, the reconstruction is well underway, but even with crews hard at work, they still have a long way to go.
“I’m hopeful that by the time we get to next Christmas we’re back to normal,” Lynde said. “I really do think it will take over a year before this is all said and done.”
Construction is underway to replace the buildings that were destroyed by arson last fall.
Luckily, they don’t have to wait a full year be to get back to business.
The retail floor is almost ready to welcome back customers, thanks in large part to other greenhouses around the metro who were kind enough to help Lynde’s with their recovery.
“Most other greenhouses in the metro area were able to offer space to start something for us if we were able to take it by April 1, that’s been our plan all along,” Lynde said.
He also was able to keep his entire staff on board, and they’ve been instrumental in helping the business stay afloat.
“I feel really grateful that nobody left,” Lynde said. “I think it would have been easy for a lot of employees to just say, ‘this is too difficult. I don’t need to do this.’ Everybody stuck by my side, stuck by each other, and helped out.”
Lynde’s officially opens for the season on March 20, although space and inventory will be limited, so they’re asking customers to be patient.
Meanwhile, CCX News reached out to the Maple Grove Police Department to see if there was any update on the investigation into the fire. Commander Jon Wetternach says the case has been submitted to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Juvenile Division for charging consideration and the department is waiting on a decision.
The retail floor is just about set for customers at Lynde Greenhouse & Nursery in Maple Grove.
Related: Massive Fire Severely Damages Maple Grove’s Lynde Greenhouse
