Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Pedley.
Hi Eric, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
While I was bartending at the Hilton, I had gotten some succulents from a friend who was moving to Costa Rica, and they sparked my interest. A couple who lived in the condos upstairs suggested that I just start making succulent arrangements, so that week I started buying from some growers around Texas and got a spot in the farmers market very quickly in time to sell for Christmas. I continued doing every type of market in Austin and the Hill Country and eventually made a wholesale sale to Red Barn. One weekend when I was having a backyard Craigslist plant sale, a guy named John Fasano said he had greenhouse space that I could rent. Over time, my little rented area turned into the whole greenhouse and then the whole property. I started wholesaling to nurseries all over Texas, and I stopped by a place that was starting up called Tillery St. Plant co. John Hutson was the owner, and he said he would like to share the space with someone else like myself. I was on board with having retail, so the area was divided, and we started to become the retail spot that we are today. I eventually bought the rental property. Years later, the house next door (that was blocking all our light with tall weed trees) went up for sale, so we bought it and moved in this Summer. We have built a dozen small greenhouses and have also opened a webshop. We rarely drive around Texas to markets except for Succulent Society events and only drive wholesale loads to two nurseries.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Working outside every day in Texas is never easy. The profit margin on plants is so slim that it has taken lots of very long strenuous days to become profitable. I went very far into debt the first couple of years, but I knew that if I could just get a box truck and enough propagation stock, I could make it work. It has required a lot of creativity and trial and error to figure out what people want. Finding great employees has been a key to success because each person can only do so much. Our biggest struggle is keeping plants alive in the winter and continuing to be able to make payroll while sales go way down. We did sell wholesale to Whole Foods for a long time but figured out that it was not worth all the labor and stress to make so little; although it was good exposure.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We specialize in having the most extensive retail collection of any nursery in the nation. I have had an addictive personality since I was a kid. It used to be Garbage Pail Kids, Football cards and Mad magazines, and it turned into cacti, haworthias, and anything else rare. This need to have everything rare has lead to us keeping customers interested. They know that they can count on finding something new each time they come. I don’t like boring plants, and neither do succulent lovers. We pride ourselves on having a clean environment with the best selection of plants and uncompromising customer service. Our customers also know that if they need arrangements made for their home or an event, nobody will charge less than us.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I have always taken on mentors and father figures in my life since my father was not involved in mine. My mother taught me to have a great work ethic from a very young age. As a grower, the knowledge of wiser growers has been essential because you just can’t learn all you need to know from books or the internet. I worked for Chris at It’s About Thyme nursery, and then Jim Small at Lost Pines Nursery, and then I met Carl Dreibellis who is the world’s best eBay seller (Bodombilly on eBay). Carl really skyrocketed my grafting skills and very specific growing techniques with rare plants and has become one of my greatest friends and mentors in all aspects of life. Our employees have been essential in continuing to operate. It is very hard to find people that are willing to be out in the heat all day carrying around heavy flats of cacti. I am very driven and a bit of a hard ass, so the ability to deal with me is also an acquired skill. I have just always been so poor since I was 18 that it created a sense of urgency that many people do not have or understand. Right now, we have a great team that is creative and knowledgeable. Julie Patton is our head manager and has kicked butt for us for most of the business’ life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://eastaustinsucculents.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastaustinsucculents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/east.austinsucculents
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl626PCeqrngjLTnu_DLF0w
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/east-austin-succulents-austin
