Celebrating 20 years with the Battinellis

BY LINDA SMITH HANCHARICK
HEWITT — Twenty years ago, Allison and Tony Battinelli took a leap of faith. The young couple from Bergen County saw an ad in the Sunday newspaper for a garden center for sale in West Milford. Tony Battinelli was a landscaper, doing much of his business in Bergen County. With their two young daughters in tow, and son Anthony's birth imminent, they bought the garden center and florist that was then known as "Every Blooming Thing," There are no regrets.

Growing business, growing family

"I came up by myself, pregnant with my third child, to look at the store," said Allison Battinelli recently in her bustling business that has expanded tremendously since those early days.

Battinelli ran the garden center and florist while her husband took care of the landcaping duties, which remained mostly in Bergen County. She and her three little ones made the commute each day to West Milford.

"The kids were here seven days a week," Battinelli said. They grew up in the business.

Little by little, though, the landscaping business in West Milford grew. And grew. Customers from the township and surrounding towns soon increased until most of the business was up this way.

So, the Battinellis moved to West Milford in 1999.

"We live on the lake and I can't imagine living anywhere else," said Battinelli.

The fire and rebuilding
Life was indeed good for the hard-working couple now living and working in West MIlford. But on July 18, 2003, a fire totally gutted the store, office, florist and attached greenhouse. The interior was a total loss.

So the Battinellis took another leap of faith. While working out of a trailer for two years, the couple decided to not only rebuild the entire building, but also buy the property on which it sits.

The business flourished. Gone was the florist end of it. Instead, Battinelli opened a gift store with pottery, themed-gifts, holiday items and more. And of course the garden center and landscaping business continued to take off.

A family affair
Battinelli said she and Tony have always hoped their children would be interested and join the business as adults. She is happy that has become a reality.

"We always wanted them to be a part of the business," said Battinelli. "We always wanted them to come in, in some way, for the family business, but they had to bring something to the table."

Both her daughters are creative. Paige is a designer who works on both interior and exterior design. She designs landscapes and in the store. Faith is a photographer and fashion designer with a good eye for buying. The three do all the buying for the store and, Battinelli said, they stick with "Made in America" products as much as possible, including buying their pottery from a producer in New Hampshire.

The young women have also brought a new aspect to the business: social media. Battinelli said they have given the business a presence on many platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. They also run the part of the store that deals with fashion and jewelry and have launched a full website for it called threadsboutiquenj.com. But the best way to experience the store, is to actually be there. Battinelli's has clothing and jewelry, fun signs and bags, gifts for babies and housewarmings, and so much more.

Anthony, a former standout for the West Milford varsity football team, is now a diesel mechanic student. He works with his dad in landscaping and someday will work in the business as a mechanic.

Despite the online presence the younger Battinellis have brought to the business, Battinelli said her husband is still "old school" when it comes to certain things. He goes on every estimate himself, something his customers obviously appreciate. It's all done in person.

Something to celebrate
There have been so many changes in the 20 years since the Battinellis first opened their business on Greenwood Lake Turnpike in Hewitt - the family has grown, the business has expanded and thrived. And there is so much to celebrate with this true family business.

Battinelli’s Landscaping and Garden Center is located at 1611 Greenwood Lake Turnpike.

Editor's note: Throughout the month of May, Battinelli's will have monthly specials with a "20" theme. Allison Battinelli invites the community to come celebrate with them.