ADVERTORIAL
A FAMILY AFFAIR AT
Stones Garden Centre
Based on the North Kent coast , Stones Garden Centre is a family run business and a well loved community hub .
As a family we have been on site for 30 years . Back in 1994 , Matthew bought a small plot of land that had an old barn . Friends and family helped develop the site and it opened as a small garden centre . Year after year , more of the adjoining land was bought and the site grew . In 2006 , we decided to sell up and enjoy early retirement , but in 2016 the site was put back up for sale . It was derelict and a lot of work was needed to get it back to a good standard where we could reopen , but we took a chance and with hard work we were able to open in 2017 .
Since then , a new coffee shop has been built in the old barn , serving a breakfast and a lunch menu using locally sourced products . We also offer afternoon tea . We give our customers a place to enjoy special occasions together .
The garden centre offers a wide range of plants , shrubs , annuals , hedging and trees . We work with British-based growers and closely chosen suppliers from the Netherlands . We even wholesale Christmas trees to other garden centres in the UK from a grower in Denmark . Matthew personally loves anything tropical and unusual , so is very often buying in plants you rarely see .
Being family run , we love to be able to offer the local community that real family feel so we now have a ‘ Stones Family ’ here on site and in our concession buildings we have an antique shop , a local fishmonger , a bespoke timber building company and a silo with a collection of local artisans offering their handcrafted items .
The future is looking bright too , and with Matthew ’ s children now older , both are onsite to help run the place . With the extension of the coffee shop underway and due to be completed this year , we will be able to double its capacity and offer a wider menu .
We have also just put in planning to extend our greenhouse to be able to offer more of a retail area and a deli . Growing our own is also top of the list with a new growing facility , which will enable us to offer locally grown summer and winter bedding plants .
Open daily from 8am - 6pm in the summer and 8am - 5pm in the winter , our large free carpark and easy access routes from the A249 and the M2 makes us a great place to visit come rain or shine . We look forward to welcoming you .
Stones Garden Centre Halfway Road Minster-on-Sea Sheerness ME12 3AA
stonesgardencentre . co . uk
stonesgardencentre
172 • www . insidekent . co . uk