Around Town

By Christopher Miller

In 1932, Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt defeated Republican President Herbert Hoover for the Presidency, more than 24% of Americans were unemployed, many living in cars and shanty towns also known as “Hoover-villes,” Charles Lindbergh’s son was kidnapped, and Amelia Earhart was the first woman to complete a non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. In Clinton County, however, a new business was born that turns 90 years old this year.

Now year-round, for four generations the Rizzo Family has been serving all of Clinton County’s gardening needs.
“The business started in 1932 when my grandparents lived on Clinton Street in Lock Haven,” said Paul Rizzo as he recalled his lengthy family history in the local area. “My grandfather, Guiseppe (Joseph) Rizzo emigrated from Platania, Calabria, Italy to America in 1903, and my grandmother Grazia (Grace) Marasco of Decollatura, Calabria, Italy came to America in 1905 and they were married sometime between 1905 and1906,” an official family history document read.

In a very Golden Girls kind of way, I imagine Sophia Petrillo saying, “picture it, Calabria, 1905…”
Though Joseph and Grace resided in North Bend for a short time, they eventually moved to Clinton Street in Lock Haven and raised nine children: Michael, Anthony, Paul, Mary, Rose, Joseph Jr., Frances, John, and Dorothy.
“When we visited Decollatura we realized that it is a mountain town, like those around us here, somewhat isolated but close-knit and we noticed at local cemeteries that there were so many names that matched last names around Clinton County from the Calabria area of Italy,” said Paul. It is possible that the large Italian heritage of Clinton County might have stemmed from family here talking to relatives and friends back in Italy about how much it reminded them of home.

In 1932 Joseph and his son Tony built a greenhouse and started to grow bedding plants and vegetables to sell. “They decided on mushrooms and vegetables,” Paul said. “They put cow manure under the benches to grow the mushrooms because it served dual purposes – as it decayed, it became more rich and created heat to warm the greenhouse, placing vegetable seedlings on top of the benches to enjoy the warmth…we also sold tomato seedlings wrapped in newspaper (a method my grandmother taught me) to sell.”

Suddenly, in 1949, Tony and Paul’s grandfather Joseph both passed away within months of each other. John and his brother Paul continued to run the family business with their mother, Grace.

In 1952 part of the greenhouse was moved from Clinton Street to Woodward Township, piece-by-piece, and reconstructed there next to a new house that John and Anne (Janerella) built on Woodward Avenue. Construction began immediately on a new greenhouse which is still in use today and can be seen next to the main retail greenhouse. It was then that the Rizzo family started to sell nursery stock and some holiday plants. Mother Grace continued to operate the Clinton Street greenhouse before closing it down in the mid-50s. Grace passed away in 1972.

John, the current Paul Rizzo’s father, was a veteran of the second World War and a graduate of Delaware Valley College of Agriculture with a degree in Floriculture and Landscaping.

“Dad trained a florist and a person to work in the greenhouse and do landscaping,” Paul said, “but he also enjoyed his work at Piper Aircraft, having retired in the mid-1980s.”

Paul and his brothers John and Michael grew and the greenhouse business slowly started to expand over the years as they began to take positions in the family business and eventually adding on a gift and flower shop.
“My brother John enjoyed the business and went on to study Biology and Botany at Penn State,” Paul said. “We later all tok courses at the famous Hixon’s School of Floral Design and some at Ohio State University…we eventually all became Floral Designers servicing weddings, parties, funerals, and selling fresh and dried arrangements in the flower shop.”

“My brother Mike,” Paul said, “went on to serve in the Marine Corps during the First Gulf War, but would help out in the greenhouse during holidays and the busy times!”

Paul, though, decided at a young age, to follow in his fathers footsteps learning the trade first-hand from an expert, Dad.

And then along came Cathy Bingman.

“Cathy grew up loving plants and gardening,” Paul said. “She grew up so close to us, down in Dunnstown, and her family were customers of ours for so long…her parents still help out in the greenhouse during busy times.”
Cathy had helped to operate the greenhouse at Lock Haven University for a few years while studying Botany and Environmental Sciences, graduating in 1993.

“I hired Cathy to work at the greenhouse in 1994 and we were then married in 1998,” Paul said. “I had to marry my boss to get my own greenhouse I always wanted,” Cathy said laughing.

Their two children, Joseph and Grace, named for Paul’s grandparents, both work at the greenhouse as time permits. Joey is full-time and has taken on landscaping, excavation, and maintenance, as Grace helps out when she can in between school and athletics.

“We do it for the love of it,” Paul explained. “We are dedicated to the greenhouse, the business, my grandparents, my parents, our children the legacy behind it all…it does get stressful at times, like the major holidays, but our customers are our family that we share things with, we know them by first name and we know their families, they’ve been coming here forever.”

After rifling through the dozens, if not hundreds, of plants that can be found at Rizzo’s, there are still some ultimate favorites of the family.

“I’d love to grow some hops, for beer brewing,” said Joey, who had freshly turned legal drinking age at the time of this interview. For Paul, it is an old Jade plant that keeps him busy. “We have in our possession an old Jade plant, older than the greenhouses and probably as old as my grandparents,” he explained. “The thought is that it came over with them from Italy when either one of them immigrated to America…it is well-over 80 years old.” Cathy enjoys the houseplants, in general. “They are very easy to keep up with, simple plants that add the oxygen and color your home may be missing,” she said.

As one would think, the seasons change as quickly in the flower and greenhouse business as the autumn leaves turn in October.

“Every season is totally different here,” Cathy explained. “We are already thinking about Easter Lilies in October, Christmas Poinsettias in June or July, starting our seedlings in late Fall or early Winter…it is tough, but we also change with the seasons, stop growing some plants and start growing others. There are some things we just don’t grow anymore because they aren’t popular with the times.” I believe “what’s trending” is the new buzz-phrase. But what is trending in the greenhouse world?

“Native plants, regional plants like what you would find here in the northeast are huge right now,” Paul said. “Yes,” Cathy added, “people want to plant native plants that are beneficial for pollinators, and hybrids are not bad either right now.”

Paul and Cathy have some special advice for those beginner gardeners and veteran gardeners.
“For the beginners I would pick something easy,” Paul said. “Zinnias, marigolds, and some vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, zucchini…you can eat from those plants all year long.” “Veteran gardeners should try something a bit more challenging, like doing the Audubon experience, which for this year is a Birdy Dozen for birds and butterfly pollinator gardens, Paul said.”

What makes Rizzo’s different from other garden centers is their key strength in operating a nearly century-long business.

“It all boils down to customer service and knowledge,” Paul said. “We always put people before the sale, it’s so important to know that.” Also the fact that over 90% of their stock plants are grown on-site in their 12 operating greenhouses.

“If someone comes in with their heart set on a specific plant and we learn through talking with them that it wouldn’t do well with the amount of light or soil in the area they want to plant it, then I will tell honestly tell them that, and work with them to find something similar that will work out…sometimes we are more detectives than business owners” Cathy said.

What are their plans for the next 90+ years in business, the people want to know. “We’ve been thinking about producing our own pottery here,” Cathy said. “We have this special type of clay that is just perfect for being worked into pottery, and maybe we’d build our own kiln, but we are taking it slow and investigating the possibilities with it.”

“For me,” Paul said, “it is moving forward with new products, innovations, and being on the lookout for new things to differentiate us.”

“My family spirit lives on in the same greenhouses as days-gone-by,” Paul said. “Things don’t just happen – it is a metamorphosis overtime, like how I had to learn plumbing and heating over the years to continue to do my own work in the greenhouses.”

Some special events are being planned in conjunction with the 90th anniversary, so be sure to stop into the store or check out their social media presence for more details to be released.

So for all of your flowers, berry bushes, fruit trees, hanging baskets, annuals, perennials, shrubbery, vegetable plants, bedding plants, indoor and outdoor gardening needs, wind chimes, gazing balls, tools, bird feeders, Christmas ornaments and decorations, statues, come to Rizzo’s Greenhouse & Flower Shop.

Rizzo’s Greenhouse & Flower Shop
2803 Woodward Avenue
Lock Haven 570-753-3603
Hours:
Monday – Friday : 9am to 5pm
Saturday: 9am to 3pm
Open Memorial Day
Sunday and Monday

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