Twenty years ago Kent Snyder began using tax returns to buy landscaping tools. Thus, beginning in the journey that would include his daughter, Lynette Snyder Sepulveda, years later.
"He started gradually. They took what they got from a tax return and my father bought some trees. It just gradually grew step by step. I know we have got to be getting close to 20 years," Sepulveda said.
Sepulveda received the call from her father, when she was still in college. He wanted to pursue a business venture and needed her help. Sepulveda came running and has been running with the business ever since.
The nursery began as a landscaping business that Snyder ran. He had a nursery. However, it was mainly used to feed his landscaping installations.
"Then about seven years ago, the property on Loyalsock Avenue became available and he rented it. He contacted me in college and asked if I would come home and run the business with him," Sepulveda said.
According to Sepulveda, during the seven years in Loyalsock, the company grew as they built it up year by year.
"We do a full line of trees, shrubs and perennials. We grow our own perennials. I focus a lot on finding the new and best perennial that is out there. We aim for over 150 different kinds. That is something that we have built a reputation on," Sepulveda said.
The thing that sets the nursery apart from others in the area is they do supply a high quality product. They will attempt to give the best price for the quality, according to Sepulveda.
Sepulveda speaks at garden clubs and teaches classes on Saturdays on landscapes and other topics. Since the move to the new location, Sepulveda will also bring in other speakers. The classes are offered free. Sepulveda aims for classes of 10 to 15.
"I like that I can use my creativity. Bit by bit I am able to make it into what I was dreaming of. I love the flexibility of finding what you want and knowing that you are coming to work each day to make something better. Working at other jobs, you may not feel the excitement. I like that it's personal," Sepulveda said.
The building that furnished the Loyalsock location was a rental property. After learning the property was up for sale, Snyder bought Keebler's Feed Store in Montoursville and began setting new roots.
Snyder's are incorporating some of the feedmill business into their current nursery business. Additional products they will provide are seed potatoes, bulk vegetable seeds, grass seeds and other gardening products.
"It is now Snyder's Nursery at the Feedmill. We are taking on what Keebler's had before, We will be gradually putting in their product lines in with ours. They were well known for bulk seeds and feeds. We are starting with the seeds end of it and gradually working into the feeds part of it," Sepulveda said. "There is a lot of work that needs to be done to get the machinery where it should be."
Snyder's has also added a bird food line. They are working on a birding section. There are hopes of following that with animal feeds in the future. The animal feeds project is still in the thinking process, according to Sepulveda.
"My dad was always based in doing something in agriculture. I know it wasn't my dream. But, I live for this business. It is 24 hours a day. It's always with me," Sepulveda said.
For more information, individuals may contact the nursery at 368-3377 or access the Web site at www.snydersnursery.com.
