The garden center has been hit hard by two years of extreme temperatures, drought, hail and — more recently — a July 15 fire in its warehouse that claimed about 80 percent of the company’s stock, along with all of its Christmas inventory.
David and Beverly Shumake, Horn Seed’s fourth-generation owners, said they had no option but to close.
“We’re still crying, and I don’t think we’ll ever stop,” said Beverly Shumake.
The couple already had to meet a large deductible earlier this year after a damaging hail storm. Since the fire, they’re still trying to straighten things out with the insurance company.
“The last two years have been two of our worst,” she said. “It’s put a huge strain on us. And we are both disabled right now, so it’s really hard for us to try to carry on. It was just one of those things that we had to make a decision on.”
Henry Horn opened the first shop downtown, where he sold baby chicks alongside more conventional items. Horn Seed later boasted two other locations at 2105 S. Robinson and 7405 S. May before consolidating at its current store.
“We’re trying to see that when one door closes, another one opens, and there will be a new chapter to our lives,” Beverly Shumake said. “But right now, it’s just sad.”
An exact closing date has not yet been determined. Until then, all inventory is marked down 60 percent.
This article appears in Aug 22-28, 2012.