"It's not only true that good things come in small packages, but they come also in small gestures. A perfect example of how a small effort can make a person's day - and perhaps a customer for life - came through a call from Marcy Schultz, a one-time resident of Kentucky who was passing through Lexington on her way to a family reunion. She related a story of the kindness of a young man who worked at King's Gardens one fall a few years ago and an incident that has not left her fond memories since.
The fall festivals that proliferate around this time of year offer many people the material they need for their favorite decorating season. After all, it's still warm enough to be outside hanging the Indian corn and resting the corn shucks against a fence post, arranging the mums and placing the pumpkins. It was most certainly the favorite time of year for Marcy Schultz's Aunt Charlotte, who lived at Mayfair Manor off Tates Creek Road. Marcy would drive from her home in Nicholasville and pick her aunt up on a Saturday morning to travel from fall fair to autumn festival, sipping apple cider and admiring the scenery. Driving down Nicholasville Road beyond Man O' War, they saw people milling around scarecrows propped on bales of hay, and a grinning, air-filled jack-o-lantern that stood 50 feet tall. A wagon piled high with hay and pumpkins, gourds and corn stalks was draped on the front sloping hill, beckoning the passersby, and a quick right turn brought them into the parking lot of King's Gardens. Music was playing, cider was flowing, and the decision to buy a few items was made. A young man approached the two women as they strolled through the patch of pumpkins perched high and low on various crates and barrels and asked if he could be of any help. Aunt Charlotte was taken with his smile and proceeded to tell him how she and her children used to carve the friendliest faces on their jack-o-lanterns. There was none of those wicked eyes and spiked teeth for them. They perched funny hats on their heads that were removed only when the candles inside were lit on beggars' night. Her enthusiasm dimmed only when she mentioned that she couldn't carve pumpkins anymore; her shaking hands and unsure grip had made the task too difficult, and her children did not live close by. After a few small samples had been selected, the young man loaded the goods into the car trunk, nonchalantly asking where the older woman lived. He was familiar with Mayfair Manor, living not too far from there. The day continued for the two women with lunch at a small diner, and they were both home safely by late afternoon, with pumpkins, bittersweet, and Indian corn in tow.
Two weeks later another outing was planned, and when Marcy picked up Aunt Charlotte, she cast her niece a quick smile as she slid into the car. She quietly thanked her for the jack-o-lantern, saying it had made her day. Its big smile and eyes with sweeping lashes were a delight to look at, she said, and all the other residents admired it as it sat in the lobby with her name scribbled across a small toothpick banner stuck in the colorful cap it wore. She'd even left it there for a bit for all to see. But now it stood on her windowsill and was a wonderful reminder of Halloweens past. Marcy explained that she had not carved or delivered the masterpiece, and the mystery provided pleasant speculation all afternoon. The eventual decision that the young man at King's Gardens had been the kind donor brought the day to an end. On her way home, Marcy once again made the right turn into the festively decorated nursery and spotted the young man dragging a tree across the parking lot. When she approached him and offered her thanks - and a handsome tip - he offered back a smile and refused the tip. He said he was glad she was enjoying it.
Driving down Nicholasville Road into Lexington on her way to a reunion, Marcy recently drove past King's again. She spent the day shopping in Lexington before the family gathered and came across "Counter Culture" in a copy of Business Lexington lying on the table at Common Grounds. Aunt Charlotte has since passed away, and Marcy mentioned that her presence will be missed at the reunion, but that she plans on stopping at the garden shop on her way home to pick up a few things - and to remember a grinning jack-o-lantern and a kind gesture."