IDAHO FALLS – After more than four decades as the faces behind Eagle Rock Nursery in Idaho Falls, Ken and Jane Brown are starting a new chapter.
The Idaho Falls couple retired as the company’s owners on Jan. 2. The company has not yet announced who the new owner is. In a Facebook post last month, the Browns said the new ownership would be announced in the coming weeks.
In a conversation with EastIdahoNews.com, Jane explained the reason for their retirement.
“We’re retirement age now, maybe a little past. We just wanted to have some time (to spend with family), work in our own yard (and other personal activities),” Jane says.
Jane says helping customers grow their own food and make their yards nicer was her favorite part of running the business. It’s been a fun ride for her and she’s looking forward to the next adventure.
Jane and her husband opened Eagle Rock Nursery in 1983. Its original location was on Pancheri Drive across from Jiffy Lube. It moved to 1850 Rollandet around 1996. The space was empty at the time and the Browns built a brand new building.
Left: The empty lot on Rollandet in 1996 just before construction of the current building. Right: Eagle Rock Nursery’s original location on Pancheri Drive. | Courtesy Jane Brown
Before the business’s launch, Jane says Ken had worked at several nurseries and really enjoyed that. That prompted him to open his own shop.
“He’d always wanted to do that. He loves being outdoors and didn’t want to sit at a desk,” says Jane.
Ken’s love of gardening stems back to his childhood. Jane says his dad worked in road construction and would come home at the end of the day and water his flowers. It was an activity that gave Ken’s dad “a lot of peace,” according to Jane.
“My husband saw that and he could see how much other people enjoyed it (and that led him to pursue it as a career),” she says.
From the beginning, the Brown’s vision, according to a news release, was to “help the community grow, while taking pride in the beauty, quality, and presentation of plants and products.” They wanted to create an environment that felt comfortable and relaxing — a place people genuinely enjoyed visiting.
The business has evolved over the years and Jane says it’s become a meaningful part of the community.
Above all, Jane says it was the customers that made it worthwhile.
“I’ve really enjoyed the customers, helping them with garden questions, tree questions. We had a lot of regular customers that would frequent (the shop). A lot of them have become my friends,” says Jane.
It’s the interactions with customers and employees that Jane says she will miss most.
As the Browns move on to the next phase of life, Jane expresses gratitude to the community and the “faithful customers” they’ve served through the years.
“It was always nice to meet people and talk to them about their yards and their gardens,” she says. “We will miss being surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers every day.”
Eagle Rock Nursery maintains the same hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Eagle Rock Nursery on Rollandet in 1996. | Courtesy Jane Brown
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