Urban Outfitters buys garden business

Urban Outfitters Inc. will use J. Franklin Styer Nurseries Inc., a well-known garden center near Chadds Ford, as a place to launch its latest concept, Terrain.

The Philadelphia-based retailer which operates more than 240 Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People stores throughout the United States, plans to "transform the local garden center into an experience that celebrates the beauty and abundance of nature while offering an electic mix of garden-inspired products tailored for the contemporary customer," the company said in announcing its plan to acquire Styer's.

Neither the company, nor Styer's current owner, Bill Simeral, would disclose the price.

What makes the purchase interesting is not only Urban's launching of a new concept, but its decision to expand beyond retail into a service business.

Besides selling mulch, silk orchids, garden books and tools in a comfortable atmosphere that includes a leather sofa and a coffee bar serving upscale La Colombe coffee, Terrain will offer landscape design and construction.

J. Franklin Styer was founded in 1890. Simeral, the former president of the 10-acre Concordville nursery, bought it three years ago. He will stay on to run the landscaping and design component of the business.