NORTH CANTON – After nearly 20 years of doing furniture repair, painting and restoration, Jamie Kattman wanted to return to a retail business, but not one that made him work 80-hour weeks.
He had worked for the former appliance and electronics chain Circuit City in the 1980s. He decided to start his own business and opened North Canton Woodwork in 1993, refining antiques and furniture for hotels.
But Kattman missed retail. He researched and then opened the Green Garden Indoor Garden Center together with his son Erik in February 2011. For a number of years the shop at Marc’s Plaza at 1664 N. Main St. served as the home of North Canton Woodworks, but these days it is devoted to gardening.
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Last year, the Kattmans doubled the size of the store by expanding into the space next door. The extra space serves as a warehouse where the Kattmans can store potting soil and display grow tents, hydroponic systems, and other equipment.
“Pretty much anything that you can grow outdoors, you can grow indoors,” Kattman said.
If you want to grow your own vegetables during the winter months, all you need is the right equipment and an interest in tending a garden.
Kattman enjoyed gardening outdoors, so he had the background that helped him get started with Green Garden. His research showed that hydroponic gardening was a niche market with growth potential. He also assumed that large retailers – Menards, Lowe’s or other large chain stores – would not want to enter such a niche market.
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When the gardening business began, Kattman relied on North Canton Woodwork shops to help defray expenses. Word of mouth brought customers for garden products and Kattman left the furniture business.
About 30% of its customers use hydroponic systems, where plants grow in water instead of soil. But whether you’re using a hydroponic system or traditional soil, a key to growing indoors is getting the right mix of nutrients. Kattman said he has some customers who treat their nutrient blend the same way a chef would protect a specific recipe.
Technology has led to change, Kattman said. Indoor gardeners are beginning to use LED lighting systems instead of large conventional light bulbs. The LED systems use less electricity, are more efficient and don’t get as hot as traditional incandescent bulbs, Kattman said. Also, the incandescent bulbs would only last nine to 12 months, while LED systems would last for years, he said.
The store stocks ranges of organic and synthetic liquid and dry nutrients, organic pest control, seed trays, 15 types of growing media, fans and filters. It also carries grow tents that protect houseplants from insects, mold, and other pests.
Kattman has lived most of his life in Stark County. He lived in Tennessee in the 1980s while working for the former Circuit City chain of home appliance and electronics stores for several years, but returned to the area to run his own business.
Green Garden is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm and Saturday from 10am to 5pm. Over the years, the Kattmans have met a number of good, regular customers.
“They value us as much as we value their business,” he said.
Diebold Nixdorf Adds Fraud Prevention Partners
Fraud protection technology will be integrated into Diebold Nixdorf’s Vynamic payment processing platforms through a partnership with Featurespace.
Based in the UK, Featurescape specializes in fraud and financial crime prevention technology. The company helps financial institutions protect customers and reduce risk and operational costs by providing financial crime prevention products.
Joe Myers, Diebold Nixdorf’s executive vice president of global banking, said in a press release that the combination of Vynamic and Featurescape technology “can provide financial institutions with the most powerful and open technology to combat fraud and financial crime.”
Apartment sales continue the downward trend
Real estate agents sold fewer homes in September, but prices continued to rise, Ohio Realtors reported.
Agents in MLS Now, which includes Stark and 22 other counties in northeast Ohio, sold 4,860 properties in September, down 13.8% from the 5,635 sold in September 2021. So far this year, brokers have reported sales of 40,458 units, down 4.7% from 42,469 sold in the first nine months of 2021.
Nationwide realtors reported 13,785 homes sold in September, down 15% from 16,241 sold in the same month last year. In the first three quarters, agents sold 117,999 properties, down 5.4% from 124,700 units sold in 2021.
The median price for a property sold in the MLS Now region is $232,287, an increase of 8.7% from the median price of $213,603 reported in 2021. The median price nationwide is $261,049, a 9.2% increase from the 2021 average of $239,091.
You can reach Edd at 330-580-8484 or edd.pritchard@cantonrep.com On Twitter: @epritchardREP
