BESTLIFE

Love blooms amid the greenhouses

WESTLAND GREENHOUSES CELEBRATES 20 YEARS

By Kathy Mueller

The universe works in strange ways. And for Anita van Adrichem and her husband Paul, owners of Westland Greenhouses in Grand Bend, the stars seemed destined to align from a young age. “We met each other through the eggplants,” says Anita with a laugh. Both she and Paul grew up the children of eggplant growers in what she refers to as the Sea of Glass in Holland, row upon row of greenhouses, interspersed with family homes.

Love blossomed among the eggplants, marriage followed, and 20 years ago with four children under the age of six in tow, the couple made the decision to move to Canada. Then they set up their own greenhouse business on the shores of Lake Huron.

Here too, the stars aligned. “The man who owned the property we ended up purchasing was an old classmate of my husband’s father when he lived in Holland,” says Anita. “We weren’t aware of that connection when we started exploring the idea of moving to Canada.”

The van Adrichems did their research and felt the local market could support a retail garden centre but first there were some challenges to overcome. They had to transform the property from a potato farm to a retail garden centre and wholesale business. There was the language barrier – only Anita spoke English. They had to quickly learn what house plants

grow well in the Canadian climate. And, not knowing anyone, that first winter was a little lonely. “With the four kids in Holland, I had 500 babysitters! Here, I had none.”

But with their natural green thumbs, the family quickly adapted and after a few years of Anita and Paul working until the wee hours of the morning after the kids had gone to sleep, they were able to start hiring employees and began turning a profit.

Twenty years later and Westland Greenhouses is celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. They have had to adjust the way they operate due to COVID-19. The number of customers allowed in the store at a time is limited,

At the greenhouse in May of 2000: (l-r) Anne, Paul Jr., Hein and Jette van Adrichem.

and they must abide by physical distancing guidelines. Staff members are wearing personal protective equipment and carts are repeatedly sanitized.

The retail side of the business is booming. On the weekend of June 13, Westland Greenhouses celebrated its 20-year anniversary with giveaways, discounts and free ice-cream. “Canada is the land of opportunities,” says Anita. “This is our way of saying thank you to everyone who has helped make our dream come true.”

● FOR MORE INFORMATION • WESTLAND GREENHOUSES • 10133 Lakeshore Rd, Grand Bend • 519-238-1321 • www.westlandgreenhouses.com