Edna Roberts in Maine started her greenhouse-for-profit in a glassed-in chicken coop, but now she is the owner of a whole range of greenhouses! Since the African violets she raised in her makeshift house were good enough to win prizes, she decided to sell some of them. Now she stocks the very latest as well as “the best of the older varieties.” Florists in nearby towns use her as their source of supply. The important thing is that she first made a success of a small greenhouse, and then went on to larger and more profitable ones.

African Violets and Orchids
George Wissell of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has a 10- by 10-foot affair, built for approximately $350.00. He grows only African violets and orchids. The orchids hang from the roof to obtain more light and to help shade the African violets. Two double-shelved benches are at the sides of the house. Fluorescent lights under the first bench adequately light the plants growing on the lower bench, which is about 6 inches above the floor.

In such small quarters, Mr. Wissell does an excellent job of hybridizing and growing. All the plants, except those kept for hybridizing, are sold to local stores or hobbyists. This constant profit promotes his hybridization in a big way.

Meeting Home-Town Needs
In Houston, Texas, Grace Grissom sells African violets from her 15- by 48-foot attached-to-the-dwelling greenhouse. A suspended gas heater keeps the temperature up during the winter months, while an evaporative cooler holds it down during the scorching summer. She attends conventions to procure the newest violets, which she propagates. She is now adding a sales room for potting accessories, materials for flower arranging, and other gardening equipment.

Sales Through Mail & The Internet
A friend in New York rears her African violets in a prefabricated 10- by 12-foot lean-to and sells through the mail, eliminating the “bother” of having people running to her greenhouse. Much of her trade comes through membership in round-robins (correspondence groups of various plant societies). She advertises her specialties in such publications as The African Violet Magazine, The Gloxinian and The Begonian, with an ad once or twice a year in one of the larger gardening journals. Her hobby pays off well in both cash and fun.

David Spinks from Boston has used the internet to set up a thriving gardening business. He followed others by making his first sales on Ebay. He built up a very large customer base using Ebay, by giving good customer service and building up
a good feedback score. David sells seeds and small plants in compost that can be packaged easily and posted.
He has now branched out and runs several websites that sell not only plants but also
gardening  supplies.

African Violets from a Southern Greenhouse
In humid Louisiana, a hobbyist sells African violets from a 24- by 30-foot free-standing greenhouse erected by local builders. By keeping a heavy shading on the glass and several layers of cheesecloth inside the house, he is able to keep the house cool enough in summer. He raises thousands of violets and, while he sells some locally, his main business is wholesale.

If you want to make African violets your specialty, it will pay you to join The African Violet Society of America, Inc., P. O. Box 1326, Knoxville, Tennessee. This Society issues a well-illustrated magazine, and there are a number of other advantages to membership.

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