Over time, New Earth gained a
reputation for being a place where
growers could get excellent advice
and guidance for success in their
growrooms. Staff spent as much time
as was necessary with customers to
ensure they were successful, and the
store featured one of the nation’s
first operating growrooms in a retail
location, so people could come in
and see for themselves exactly how an
indoor garden worked. “We focused on
having quality products—products we
would use ourselves,” says Nancy. “We
had many loyal customers who drove
6-12 hours to come to our shop!”
“There is nearly
100 years’ worth
of combined
indoor gardening
experience at
new earth, which
translates into a
focus on education
for customers.”
In 1992, New Earth moved from
Shepherdsville to another leased
storefront in Louisville, and in 2007,
Nancy purchased a neighboring
store and moved the business into
its current location in Louisville. In
these expanded headquarters, growers
can find anything and everything
they need to garden indoors or
out, hydroponically or organically.
The company also designs and
manufactures its own line of hydro
systems and an in-house nutrient line.
There are now six people working
at the store. Nancy’s brother, Mike,
who started working for New Earth
in 1991, has been a business partner
since 2001. His expertise and years
of experience in both indoor and
outdoor gardening make him invaluable
for grower consultations. He also
manages inventory, ordering, day-to-day
operations and accounting. Nancy’s
husband, Vance, who joined the team
after he and Nancy were married
in 2001, handles outside events and
in-house workshops. He also keeps the
computers running, fixes whatever is
broken and designs and manufactures
New Earth’s custom hydroponic
systems. Terry is a long-time customerturned-employee and friend who will
do anything it takes to do his job well,
from going over to a little old lady’s
house to set her timer, to painting the
building, to consulting with a largescale grower. His personal greenhouse
has been toured by the local master
gardeners group. Aaron is another
customer-turned-employee, with two
horticulture degrees, and a great eye
for in-house marketing and signage. He
is an excellent resource for diagnosing
plant diseases and pest problems,
having operated an organic edible
landscaping business in the past. Vance
and Nancy’s son, Alec, stocks inventory
and assists with everything from bottling
custom nutrients to managing the email
subscriber list. Nancy manages all print
and web content and writes the blog.
She also manages social media,
organizes and manages the educational
workshops and events, facilitates
community outreach and relationships,
and researches new products and
opportunities in the industry.
Between all six, there is nearly 100
years’ worth of combined indoor
gardening experience at New Earth,
which translates into a focus on
education for customers. New Earth
offers free monthly workshops, classes
and events to help people get into
indoor gardening, and ensures there
are enough staff to spend plenty of time
with people. “We have served close to a
quarter-million customers in our store
over the years!” reflects Nancy. “Today,
I would say our biggest success is our
longevity. We are still family owned and
operated, still thriving, still growing, still
passionate about the industry.”
Up next for New Earth is a new website and New Earth U, which
aims to take the store’s in-house workshops to the web to reach
a broader demographic. An additional retail location might also
be in the cards in the not-too-distant future. “We have a popular
in-house nutrient line, and are currently working on developing a
new organic nutrient line that we can share nationally, hopefully
launching in 2016,” says Nancy. To track the store’s progress on
these goals, follow them on Facebook, Instagram