By Kathy Chouteau
The news came from my editor and landed with the sting of a thousand hornets: Annie’s Annuals & Perennials, the Richmond garden nursery that launched innumerable gardens, including my own, was closing.
Sarah Hundley, the still newish owner who purchased the business from its then-retiring iconic founder Annie Hayes in 2021, posted a sudden closure announcement on the nursery’s website and on-site Oct. 3. Hundley stated the reason as a “serious and unexpected health challenges” and said she worked tirelessly to keep the nursery going, but despite her best efforts, the personal and business challenges escalated too fast for her to maintain business operations.
“While the store closed on Oct. 3, 2024, there are ongoing discussions with potential buyers who may continue the business,” Hundley said in her statement. “We will update the community if any final decisions are made.” Other directions followed Hundley’s message online pertaining to unsettled customer-related business matters.
Many in the community are reacting to Annie’s closure as an abrupt and jarring loss. The emerging consensus is that the nursery’s employees were as shocked by the news as the customers. No warning that the recent Fall Sale would be everyone’s last chance to dance amid the vibrant flower beds.
Annie’s served as more than a place to feed one’s garden. It cultivated a culture of what Hayes called “flower floozies”—particularly, creative women of a certain age who found space in their yard, or a container on their balcony, for a vibrant array of the nursery’s exquisite, and often rare, flowers and plants.
Annie’s was an oasis for me, and presumably, so many others. I spent many a Mother’s Day sale equipped with a gift card and a rickety wagon of flowers—one of which was my gift from the nursery for giving birth—in line, eagerly anticipating the future messy cottage garden glory in my yard. Other days I would be accompanied by my husband, son and pug, who enjoyed roaming around the serene but spectacular nursery as much as me.
I stopped by Annie’s this morning, and met some former staffers sharing my sullen mood. The front gate was locked, but an anonymous staffer told me they were first notified of the closing at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2 when they had a manager’s meeting and then the remaining staff was informed. The person, who worked at the nursery for a decade, said they were “shocked, sad and mad” about the closing. The individual said they were on their way to another meeting at Annie’s this morning to learn whether or not they will receive severance and to discuss related matters.
Another staffer, Edward Ballesteros, who worked at the nursery for 12 years and clearly had deep love for it, confirmed the meeting and recently being let go. He allowed me to snap a quick photo of the nursery as he opened the gate for himself and the other staffers to attend the meeting.
No one else was available for comment and it remains to be seen if Hundley will be able to sell Annie’s. But oh, I’m going to miss Annie’s in the meantime. From the gorgeous demo gardens, to the special dirt, to the rooftop dinosaur, cow sculpture, enchanting flower floozie mannequin and chicken coop…Richmond just won’t be the same without you.
