Maximum Yield USA 2012 March | Page 198

talking shop AT A GLANCE Company: Chlorophyll Based on years of hands-on experience and education in the gardening business, Chlorophyll’s company mission is to educate the public on the benefits of growing healthy produce in a green fashion year-round and to provide an outlet for the consumer to purchase everything they need to do so successfully. Owners: Lee McCall and Beau Speicher Location: 3801 Mariposa St. Denver, Colorado Phone: 1-303-433-1155 E-mail: [email protected] Motto: “Self-sustainable gardening year-round.” 196 Maximum Yield USA | March 2012 Chlorophyll opened for business in May of 2010.The location was chosen based on regional market demographics, accessibility, size, layout and building style.The shop is located in what’s known to locals as The Highlands, an up-and-coming area in North Denver that’s an erupting hot spot for the kind of culturally-diverse mix of consumers who tend to have a passion for supporting green initiatives such as organic gardening, recycling, low-emission transportation and green construction. Green business is more like a way of life in this corner of Denver than a trend and eco-friendly businesses—including everything from groceries and dining to organic dry cleaning, weekend farmers’ markets and even eco-friendly oil changes from mechan- ics specializing in reducing vehicle emissions—occupy virtually every available commercial space in the zip code. Pinpointing an ideal location in this part of the city was the first crucial step in planning Chlorophyll’s successful future. The garden center occupies a stand-alone, singlelevel 14,000 square foot facility with off-street parking located at the rear of the building.The north and east sides of the building feature three different bays, allowing for efficient loading and receiving for customers. Approximately 6,000 square feet of the layout is devoted strictly to the showroom in order to display products and provide easy access to the wide variety of products available. An additional 500 square feet was also converted into a fully functional, state-of-theart grow room, visible through a custom-built pine frame housing five commercial glazed windows, each measuring four by six feet. This room is fully visible to the public from both the inside of the store and outside from the street, but is only accessible to employees through a single entrance that sanitizes each in-