A Season of Growth
Looking Back on a Great Season
This year was the best in the history of Win Gardens Greenhouse. We grew more plants than ever, reached more customers across western Colorado, and felt the deep support of our community every single week. Orders came in earlier, demand stayed strong through the season, and we grew our client base in Fruita, Grand Junction, and beyond. None of this would have been possible without our customers, our team and the place we get to call home.
Growing With Our College Team
Our small crew of college students carried this season. They showed up for transplant marathons, early morning deadheading, long shipping days, and late-season scrambles. They learned how to manage crop timing, scout for pests, and ship thousands of plants on schedule.
We are always recruiting students who want meaningful seasonal work. This job is more than a paycheck. It is a chance to learn propagation, greenhouse management, customer service, and the behind-the-scenes operations that make a local business run. If you are a student interested in real skills that go far beyond one spring, we would love to talk with you.
Wearing Many Hats
This season I handled marketing myself, right alongside everything else that keeps a small business running. Between answering phone calls, processing orders, cashing checks, and keeping the books, I was also posting updates, sending newsletters and making sure customers knew what was blooming.
It worked, but it was a lot to carry. Next year, I would love to find the right person to share that responsibility. Administrative work does not have to be complicated, but it does need consistency. With someone focused on that role, we could tell our story more often and give our customers even clearer updates. One way we aim to improve in Spring 2026 is by having a shorter response time when you connect with us via email.
The Power of Community
What stood out most this season was how often our customers chose local. Fruita is growing, and every purchase from a small business strengthens the whole town. According to the City of Fruita’s 2022 Sales & Use Tax Annual Report, retail, vehicles, and food accounted for 82 percent of sales tax revenues. Two-thirds of the city’s sales tax supports the General Fund, while one-third supports the Community Center directly.
Fruita’s population has now reached just over 14,000 residents, up from 13,395 in the 2020 census (Wikipedia: Fruita, Colorado). Each new household creates demand for goods and services, which in turn creates new opportunities for local entrepreneurs. This is why choosing a local greenhouse or hardware store is more than convenience. It is an investment in the town itself.
Small Business and the Local Economy
Small businesses are the backbone of Colorado’s economy. In 2023, new and expanding establishments statewide added more than 324,000 jobs, while closures and contractions took away about 269,000. The net gain of 55,000 jobs came mostly from small businesses, which contributed nearly three-quarters of that total (SBA Colorado Small Business Profile 2024).
At the national level, small businesses make up 99.9 percent of all U.S. firms and contribute 43.5 percent of GDP. They also created over 61 percent of net new jobs from 1995 to 2023 (Investopedia: Small Business).
Closer to home, Mesa County’s job growth has slowed in 2025, and unemployment has risen slightly. That makes local spending even more powerful. When people shop locally, they help small businesses stay open, keep students employed during the summer, and maintain payrolls that circulate right back into the community.
Wages matter too. Colorado’s minimum wage has risen from $8.23 in 2015 to $14.42 in 2024 — a 75 percent increase (Colorado Department of Labor – Minimum Wage). That change has made seasonal work more sustainable for students and young workers, and small businesses like ours have adjusted to keep pace.
Gratitude and Next Steps
As we close this chapter, we are full of gratitude. Gratitude for for the landscapers and retailers who trusted us with large preorders, and for the students who showed up each day to move flats of plants. Every choice to support Win Gardens also supports Fruita’s economy, and that is something we do not take lightly.
Looking forward, we plan to:
Keep growing hardy, healthy plants for western Colorado and beyond.
Train and mentor more college students who want real-world experience.
Keep showing up for Fruita, Grand Junction, and the high country.
We are proud of the season, but still humbled by the work ahead. Thank you for supporting local. Thank you for choosing small business. And thank you for helping us make Fruita, Colorado an even better place to live, grow, and thrive.
