What's Brad Talking About?

This article was originally published in the June 2012 edition of the "Sauk Valley Sun."

My last column pertained to the decisions we make. In this column I defer to a man who made a decision to follow his passion. In less than 45 minutes I could understand his determination and relate to the “who”, “what”, “where”, “why”, “when”, and “how” of his business. It’s called “Cobblestone Gardens” located at 1075 N. Galena Ave., just across from the Ken Nelson Dealership in Dixon, not to be confused with “Cobblestone Ice Cream & Deli” in Sterling, IL. although the owners, Josh and Alison Burkhalter are the same. Josh opened his business up on May 1st of this year. He has annuals, perennials, and all kinds of vegetables, including different herbs. He indicated to me that if does not have what you are looking for, he can get it and he is very happy with his supplier, ‘Bert Hybels Nursery’ based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. His points out that he is most interested in quality and looking at his fresh selections, you can see the care and maintenance he puts into his business. He is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week, through the late fall. Not knowing too much about gardens, I was given a short education about the difference between annuals and perennials, and why the difference in brightness and color, and that some have to be replanted and others do not. His ‘Chef Jeff Line’ of vegetables including tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and herbs, and the like are “top of the line”. In addition, Josh was very proud of his great wide array of hanging baskets which he has on hand. He says that he offers high quality, with great prices, along with his many years of knowledge in the industry. Josh said that in his past experiences, he has traveled all over the country working in the garden industry and he has learned from the best and knows where the best selections come from. When I was talking to Josh, some customers stopped by and said hello, all smiles. Josh is well-known in the community and over the years people come directly to him for their garden needs. It is no wonder they have complete faith in him with what they plant in the ground. He maintains his inventory probably almost as well as he does his two children, Ashtyn, who is 3 and Juliana who is 15 months. This year the weather has been, to say the least, varying, and Josh has met the challenge to preserve the quality. For great personal service, I highly recommend that you visit Cobblestone Gardens and see what he has on hand for you. You will definitely be happy you did. Josh can be reached at (815) 632-8733. Brad Monson

"What's Brad Talking About?" is a monthly column in the "Sauk Valley Sun", signed by Brad Monson. Brad gives small business owners ideas to help them boost their business. The "Sauk Valley Sun" serves Dixon, Sterling, and Rock Falls, Illinois, USA.