Oklahoma grower sets the standard with production, retail firsts

In just over 25 years, TLC Florist and Greenhouses Inc. in Oklahoma City has evolved to a point of national status and respect. From humble beginnings in 1980, Charles and Linda Shackelford have parlayed a modest greenhouse and small floral shop into a company with multimillion-dollar annual sales. The operation now has three retail stores that are well-known beyond the state’s borders. Any first-time visitors with preconceived notions of a backwoods operation are quickly dispelled after a tour of this the company’s nursery, garden center and full-service florist. It’s not just the locals who have taken notice of the extensive plant selection and dependable service that have become a trademark of TLC.

A series of firsts

Anyone familiar with TLC associates the company with being the first in many areas of business. Linda and Charles operate one of the first grower-retailer businesses in the state to advertise online. TLC was one of the first growing operations in the state to install a central spray and air-powered greenhouse vent system. The company was one of the first floral retailers in the state to implement a point-of-sales computer system to facilitate faster customer transactions and more accurate customer records.

TLC offers a custom patio pot program that allows customers to go on-line and view recipe templates for suggestions on plant placement in containers. Customers also have the option of bringing their pots into any of the TLC stores to receive ideas on compatible plant combinations (i.e., sun or shade themes) in a variety of styles and sizes of containers.

The Shackelfords were the first commercial growers in the state to use integrated pest management and to offer water quality workshops and other environmentally friendly classes to customers. TLC has also cooperated with faculty at Oklahoma State University to conduct industry-related seminars.

Serving an upscale clientele

TLC’s customers are mainly high-end, upper-white collar consumers who demand quality, are willing to pay for premium products and seek service after the sale. TLC’s main retail store in Oklahoma City is in an upscale neighborhood, which has retained a loyal customer base. The store has 40,000 square feet of greenhouses and 15,000 square feet of display space for hard goods and about 6 acres of outdoor retail.

The company’s other two stores in Oklahoma City and Midwest City are not as large and offer a smaller inventory of plant material and hard goods. However, they are strategically located close to customers who want to shop with few hassles.

Customers can attend seasonal workshops at the main store to help them master different areas of gardening. The company also schedules annual events at its main store to draw in shoppers.

TLC’s Moonlight Madness occurs in late June to mark the end of the spring season. It evolved from a one-day, four-hour sale event to a two-day event that starts at 8 a.m. on Saturday and ends at 6 p.m. on Sunday. The event draws hundreds of people, many who mark their calendars for this sale.

Customer loyalty can also be attributed to TLC offering new products as soon as they are available. Key personnel are encouraged to attend trade shows. This allows staff to stay informed about new cultivars and hard goods. This financial and educational investment in its employees is a major morale booster.

Producing for retail

TLC produces most of its plants in 70 greenhouses with a total of 100,000 square feet used for growing and retailing. There is also 4 acres of outdoor production. Quonset houses are used for production with gutter-connected houses serving primarily as retail space and periodically for production. Ninety-five percent of the product is sold retail and 5 percent wholesale.

About 90 percent of its annuals, potted plants and other herbaceous plants are grown on-site from plugs, unrooted cuttings and seed. Of the bedding plants produced, about 25-30 percent are grown from seed, primarily the vegetable transplants. TLC buys in finished woody plants.

A woody ornamentals nursery added in 1982 offers the latest trees, shrubs and vines that can handle Oklahoma climate. Woody plants are available in 1-gallon up to 100-gallon tree boxes.

For the time-challenged, elderly or do-it-for-me customer, TLC offers full landscape installation. Customers have access to on-site expert horticulturalists and landscape architects.

Product diversity

Whether customers are looking for grass seed, hardy perennials or exotic orchids, they know TLC will carry it. One of TLC’s major draws are the specialty items it offers. For example, Linda and Charles have hired a number of trained plant specialists who know which plants do well in Oklahoma. Customers can count on receiving the information they need to be successful with the plants they select.

During the slower plant sales period of June through August, TLC focuses on promoting its hard goods (i.e. pest control products including organics) to keep customers interested in horticulture. It also stocks a kids corner with products for the budding gardener as well as adaptive tools for physically challenged gardeners.

In August, TLC customers have the opportunity to redeem the bonus bucks they earn shopping during spring. For each $10 dollar purchase, a customer receives one bonus buck that can be redeemed for up to 50 percent off any purchase during August.

Fall, holiday offerings

Fall gardening is slowly catching on in Oklahoma with TLC being more successful each year in promoting the planting of woody plants as well as “fresh” annuals. After the fall season, TLC employees know the real fun starts in anticipation of Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Charles and Linda know that their eclectic customers expect to be offered more than poinsettias. In addition, TLC offers mumsettias (a chrysanthemum/poinsettia combination), Diamond points (poinsettias combined with Euphorbia Diamond Frost) along with other creative “holiday combos”. In addition, there are plenty of holiday hard goods that provide customers with one stop shopping to satisfy their decorating needs.

Lights, camera, action

One of TLC’s most exciting additions to serve its customers is “Let’s Talk Gardening,” a 30-minute Saturday morning television program offered from April through July. This garden center-based television show was also a first in the state. Since 2002, Linda and Charles, who act as co-producers, along with their employees have appeared on the program along with an occasional guest speaker. TLC hired Jennifer Eve, a former award-winning news anchor from one of Oklahoma City’s television stations, to host the show.

Viewers can watch a segment and take action that same day on a plant or gardening technique that was discussed on the 8 a.m. show. Viewers are also encouraged to e-mail gardening questions to TLC.

Giving back to the industry

Charles and Linda Shackelford have both served as president of the Oklahoma Greenhouse Growers’ Association and have been involved served with numerous association committees ranging from trade shows to educational events. They have also contributed to horticultural programs at Oklahoma State University campuses in Oklahoma City and Stillwater. Their contributions have come in the form of guest lectures, serving on advisory committees/boards and employing students.

“Linda and Charles have given tirelessly of their time and talents to provide exemplary leadership in helping to facilitate research, teaching and technology transfer at Oklahoma State University,” said Dale Maronek, professor and head of OSU’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture in Stillwater. “For the last several years, we have hired adjunct faculty in part due to their helping us grow our programs,” Maronek said.

“Charles and Linda recognize the value of education and the benefits of hiring trained, knowledgeable employees. They provide educational assistance for their employees by paying tuition costs for college coursework” said Dave Edwards, Division Head, Agriculture Technologies, Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City.

TLC employees are reimbursed at the end of the semester if they earn a grade of C or better in their classes.

TLC employees are also encouraged to seek leadership roles and to serve in the state greenhouse grower association as well as related roles in the Oklahoma Green Industry.

For their efforts, Linda and Charles have received numerous awards including Oklahoma Grower of the Year and induction into the Oklahoma Greenhouse Grower Hall of Fame. Academicians too know well the couple’s significant contributions to the art and science of horticulture. They have received numerous honors including the OSU Environmental Green Award and OSU Extension Service Award.

For more: TLC Florist and Greenhouses Inc., (405) 751-0630; www.tlcgarden.com.

TLC Florist and Greenhouses Inc.

Founded: By Linda and Charles Shackelford in 1980. The company name is derived from the first initials of co-owners Linda and Charles Shackelford and their daughter Terri.

Location: Two stores in Oklahoma City and one in Midwest City, Okla.

Size: About 100,000 square feet of greenhouse production and 4 acres of outdoor production.

Crops: Annuals, perennials, flowering pot plants, garden mums, some foliage and some nursery stock.

Customer base: 95 percent retail to customers within a 5-10 mile radius of Oklahoma City with some loyal customers as far away as Dallas and Wichita, Kan., 5 percent wholesale to local landscapers.

- Michael Schnelle

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Michael Schnelle is professor and extension ornamentals/floriculture specialist, Oklahoma State University -- Stillwater, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Department, (405) 744-7361; mike.schnelle@okstate.edu.