Yamato Nursery was looking more and more forlorn this week as customers took advantage of the “1/2 off everything,” going-out-of-business sale that began last Thursday. While inventories had not been restocked for some time as a consequence of the impending sale of the property to Village School, remaining trees, shrubs, roses and bedding plants were being snapped up in the deal. Amendments, pots, garden equipment and indoor plants were also being sold at a discount. Longtime owner Hiro (who preferred not to give his last name) was busy taking care of customers himself, as his staff was down to just one or two employees. For 37 years, Hiro has maintained the 20,920-sq.-ft. nursery at the corner of Alma Real and La Cruz that originally opened in 1954 as Palisades Garden Supply. Previously he had owned a nursery in Huntington Beach. He told the Palisadian-Post that he was most proud of his customer service and the quality of his plants in the Palisades. The nursery was known for not only the health of its materials and the different varieties of common plants, but also the large number of unusual plants such as California natives. During Christmas, the nursery also sold and delivered Christmas trees of the finest quality for reasonable prices. Hiro, whose father was a landscape contractor, has two daughters, whom he said were not interested in the nursery business. He was not certain about his future plans. Village School (just around the corner on Swarthmore) plans to build a two-story, L-shaped building with underground parking for 74 cars, six classrooms, a performance arts center and a gymnasium, as well as a playing field, with excavation to begin as soon as April 1. The facility is scheduled to open in September 2005.
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