Terrain: The Not-So Bad And Everything Else

Not even a year old, it’s only natural for Terrain to have a couple hiccups in the growing process, right?

While a big fan of what Terrain had to offer under ceilings and between walls, I was a little less confident in their exterior efforts. Here are a few key points members of the tour made on more than one occasion:

1. Wheelchair accessibility- edging that sectioned off locations in the yard sometimes stuck out above the ground in many places. Also, there were steps, but hardly any ramps.

2. It was hard to locate a cart to load up your selections.

3. Unlike Waterloo, there was no map of the property.

4. Terrain’s structures are all unattached, something that might fall out of favor with customers during the cold winter months. Dress warm and bring your boots.

Is Terrain unpractical? Maybe. Or are we just to knit-picky? Probably. I have a bad feeling that Terrain may never be accepted by the independent garden center community. I've heard a bunch of opinions isolating Terrain as one of them and not one of us. They're approach is unfamiliar, but is that a gateway to judge the heck out of them?

Terrain: The Good

Pier One dressed in an expensive flannel shirt. That’s my initial take on Terrain. And I mean that in the nicest way possible.With live garland wired and streamed over the main walkway, it was easy to see that “rustic” oozes out of everything. And isn’t it funny that this is considered cutting edge?

From Waterloo’s sharp, shiny and packed to Terrain’s rough, earthy and hip, the tour did a complete 180, really challenging our perception of garden centers.

There’s no doubt that Terrain has a definite cool factor. The indoor retail space is full of “one of a kinds” and post modern merchandise displays—using huge tree stumps, old school running faucets, boxed frames, and refurbished doors and dressers.

Terrain is not the type of place you’re going to find a lot of one thing in a bunch of different colors. They are not looking to appease the demand for run-of-the-mill products. They want you to leave with a “treasure,” something that not everyone can get their hands on.

Mentioned in the morning talk, chalkboards provided plenty of useful signage space. This time of year, they keep their customers up to date on any current or upcoming events.

At the counters, customers can find Terrain branded grid paper to jot down their ideas or draw up that masterpiece in the works. An outdoor fireplace and an indoor café (which has a full menu) also offer places to mull over any remaining gardening or home décor decisions your customers may have.