Petitti Garden Centers will open its Bath Township location in the busy Montrose business corridor later this month, with a grand opening celebration scheduled April 10.
For A.J. Petitti, president of the company and son of founder Angelo Petitti, the Springside Drive location is more than the 10th store in the family-owned business.
“I love the location,” Petitti said last week as workers stocked shelves inside the converted office building. “I’ve been wanting to get in the Bath market for years.”
Angelo Petitti remains active in the business and hosts a Gardening With Angelo radio show on WTAM-1000 radio from March to October.
Close attention from Petitti family on Montrose location
Construction and renovation of the new store began in March 2024 after the company bought the property in late 2023.
The location is special not only for the area known for its consumer traffic and dense retail presence, but family reasons, he said.
Petitti said family members, including his parents, live in Bath Township. The proximity to the new store will bring special attention from the company’s founder himself, Petitti said.
“Every time there’s a dry plant in here, I’m going to be getting a call from my dad,” he said.
10 stores, farms and a 12-acre greenhouse site
The company has deep roots in Northeast Ohio, with its first location and corporate offices located just north of the Summit County border in Oakwood Village.
It maintains about 1,300 acres of land in Lake County where trees, shrubs and ornamental grasses are grown for the company’s stores and sales to other garden centers. A 12-acre greenhouse facility in Columbia Station grows annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs and indoor plants.
Petitti said the Bath location presented some design challenges, but the result will be a unique store with about 30,000 square feet in the renovated building and 150,000 square feet total including the outside greenhouses. The location represents a multimillion dollar investment, but Petitti declined to be more specific.
“It’s a totally different layout than every other store we have,” he said.
‘This is all I ever wanted to do’
Petitti said he started working at the family business when he was 7, helping sweep, dust, load and stock.
“This is all I ever wanted to do,” he said.
He’s a gardener himself, with attention to roses, dogwoods, impatiens and herbs — lots of herbs, he said.
Although based in Northeast Ohio, Petitti said the company looks far and wide for new products.
“Every year we go all over the world to look for new trends, new product ideas,” he said. “We’re always looking for something new.”
Treating customers, employees the Petitti way
Petitti said keeping its more than 1,200 employees happy helped the company maintain workers during an era of labor shortages.
“Our turnover rate is extremely low,” he said. “Just treat them the way you want to be treated… customers or employees,” he said.
The company has locations in Tallmadge, Jackson Township, Avon, Oakwood, Bainbridge, Boardman, Brunswick, Strongsville and Mentor.
Petitti said he’s eager for the finishing touches to be completed and the garden center to open to the public.
“It’s going to be gorgeous when it’s all done,” he said.
Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj or Facebook at www.facebook.com/alan.newsman.