As a heritage farm and market with roots dating back to 1850, Soergel Orchards is more than just a place to buy fresh produce. It’s a garden center, greenhouse, gift barn, gluten-free market, and country store. “We bring in each other’s traffic,” says Buying Manager Kevin Lin. “Plant people go and shop at the market, and vice versa. A lot of the time, people aren’t going for plants, but they happen to stumble upon the garden center and home accents and are amazed at how broad the place is.”

The story of Soergel’s began with a simple apple orchard just north of Pittsburgh that morphed into a roadside stand and farm market in the 1960s. In the 1970s, the next generation of Soergels, led by son Randy, developed the greenhouse side of the business, inspired by his love of growing plants. Although two of the Soergel siblings have since retired, the business is still run today by Randy and his wife, Beth, his sister Linda and her husband, Larry, and several of the founders’ grandchildren. Together, they’ve built the kind of store where employees tend to stay, including Kevin, who started working there in high school and eventually took over for the previous garden center buying manager after he retired. 

When Kevin took over as buying manager, he was inspired by garden centers he saw online that were fresh, clean, and modern, but also fun and full of character. He wasn’t sure where to start sourcing new merchandise to achieve this vision until Beth mentioned that she had a long-standing account with Faire. “I jumped in because I thought it was interesting and had everything in one place,” Beth says. “I love Faire because you can try different vendors, small amounts.” 

Gardeners can rely on Soergel’s to inspire them and make their planting plans easier, and the team at Soergel’s can rely on Faire to discover new trending products that they can have in stock right away. We had a chance to speak with Beth and Kevin about how they leverage Faire to keep their customers coming back year-round. 

What’s Always In Stock at Soergel’s?

DIY House Kits from Robotime

Robotime was one of the first Faire brands that Beth and Kevin took a leap of faith on. Kevin discovered its wooden puzzle and DIY kits on social media and saw that it had garden-related DIY house kits, which soon became one of the garden center’s bestsellers. 

“We tried it, and the first couple weeks, we sold a couple, and then our fall festival hit, and we just couldn’t keep it in stock,” Kevin says. “I truthfully couldn’t even imagine a time before Robotime, because they gave us something that no one else had for the gifting season. It was a game-changer. And they’re so friendly and easy to order through—our turnaround (for reordering) is sometimes within the same week!”

Pink Princess Tutu Dress from Sweet Wink

Sweet Wink is one of the kids and baby brands that Beth discovered through Faire while trying to expand their children’s section a couple of years ago. Beth says, “Our kids’ clothes area has just expanded and really gone crazy, and Faire’s been wonderful because it’s hard to find kids’ clothes if you’re looking for something a little special and a little different.”

The Pink Princess Tiered Long Sleeve Tutu Dress has become a big hit with customers. Like Beth says, “every little girl wants a twirl dress,” and this dress fits the bill perfectly with a ballet pink cotton bodice and tulle skirt overlay featuring gold-star accents that add a touch of sparkle.

Hori Hori Gardening Tool from Barebones 

Kevin says he’s always excited to see what’s new in stock at Barebones and loves all its products. “They’ve got this really cool Hori Hori that’s basically my favorite tool,” he says. “It’s almost like a knife-shovel mix and is really good for gardening. It is just so phenomenal.” But Kevin makes shelf space for an even broader range of Barebones tools. “They’ve got weeders and different gardening tools, clippers and artisan shears, and they’ve even got this really cool lighter. I’m just so obsessed with their whole brand because it’s built to last, and everything about Barebones has the look. It’s just classic.”

Tiny Marimo Moss Ball Terrarium from Moss Amigos

“I can’t not mention Moss Amigos,” Kevin says. After discovering Moss Amigos on a visit to Phipps Conservatory, Kevin was quick to find it on Faire and place the first of many orders. Moss Amigos puts a fresh take on this aquarium hobby, much like the pet rock concept. “We sold out the first weekend,” he says. “As soon as we ordered them, I had to put in a reorder. Then, I’m seeing all the different collections and colors, and then people even started putting their names on a list when we ran out. Their kids see it at the register. As soon as you give customers a taste, and they want it, the whole thing explodes.” The Tiny Marimo Moss Ball Terrarium with Golden Quartz Gemstones is one of Moss Amigos’ bestsellers, though the brand offers a rocky rainbow of colors that customers can choose from. 

Plant-Care Products from We the Wild

Beth and Kevin have also found a variety of products from plant-care brand We the Wild that customers love. “We the Wild is really good because they always have new products,” says Kevin. The brand harnesses the power of earthworms to provide all the nutrients, beneficial bacteria, fungi, and hormones plants love without any harsh chemicals.

“We carried their orchid-care kit, which was really fun because we have a specialty orchid area in our store, and they have a lot of other stuff that we like to try,” he says. Some of the brand’s other bestsellers include repotting mats, neem oil, houseplant foods, and a moisture meter that tells you if your plants are dry or not with the click of a button. 

Organic Plant Food from Arber 

Arber was another one of the first brands Kevin discovered in his new role as buying manager. “We got a couple sample products in, starting with Arber, which was popping off at the time as this new organic fertilizer. So we tried it, and it did really well,” Kevin says. Arber Plant Food is made from recycled supermarket food waste, infused with rosemary oil, and designed to fuel plant growth with a nutritious, protein-infused booster that helps plants thrive whether they’re indoors or outdoors. “When customers don’t want something synthetic, we can recommend something that’s OMRI-listed and a lot gentler for plants. They’ve done the research, and the proof is in the pudding.”

Say No to Bugs Plant Insect Spray from Urban Gardener  

After meeting Urban Gardener co-founder Mason Demrow at a plant show, Kevin was instantly drawn to the brand’s pleasant-smelling, all-natural products and beautiful label artwork, designed by Mason herself. He was first sold on UG’s Leaf Radiance Spray, but soon discovered the Say No to Bugs pest prevention spray, which is a favorite among customers as well as staff who love its amazing smell, which pest sprays are not typically known for. 

“She’s created this really nice blend of essential oils and put them into a formula and made a really brilliant product that smells amazing, does its job, and literally perfumes the garden center,” Kevin says. “Whenever we get it in, the ladies who work in the garden center are spraying it all day long.”

Do Soergel’s bestsellers sound like perfect picks for your store? Shop Soergel’s picks on Faire.