Barb Retondo and her husband opened the Garden Market in 2001. What started out as a small plant nursery and landscaping business has grown into a thriving garden center and gift shop. Located on their farm in rural Sycamore, the Retondo’s nursery supplies a majority of the plants sold in their garden center and landscaping services.
A converted barn acts as a greenhouse for young seedlings and the propagation of plants. In 2017, the Garden Market relocated to a larger lot to accommodate their growing business. Still located in Sycamore, Barb and her husband continue to grow their business, not planning to slow down any time soon.
A unique feature of the Garden Market is the fact that a majority of their perennials, trees and shrubs are grown in their own nursery. However, they do order in some more unique and rare perennials, trees and shrubs from local growers. By doing this they support local growers and their own community. Growing locally allows for healthier plants that are hardier and able to withstand the harsh Illinois winters.
The mission of the Garden Market is to help people become successful gardeners by selling healthy, high quality plants and offering excellent customer service. By providing their customers with a reliable and trusted gardening resource, they hope to see the community grow as a result. Educating and providing reliable information to the next generation of gardeners is also very important to us.