Great!!! That is incredible news. I went to both places on Friday after work, and they were packed with people. I only managed to buy a few herbs at Plant Odyssey... I needed more time at the Plant Odyssey Nursery.

I wonder what ultimately will happen, now. Hopefully Libby's pleas brought in some new customers who will now return regularly to both places. Unfortunately, as the banker told her, she would probably be doing much better business if she wasn't on Southside. Not many people are in that area on the weekends when most people are out shopping for plants. And it's hard to shop there during the week, because the closing time is 5:30pm. Even if you scoot out of work early, that barely leaves any time to browse. Also, not opening on Sunday cuts into potential time for shopping as well. I know it's hard for these smaller nurseries to compete with the mega-stores that can stay open all of the time.

Wonderful news, Nelson. But I have to wonder what exactly the city can do to help her. I don't think they're in the business of providing loans or tax breaks to small businesses. Am I wrong? I just hope that whoever this city representative was really knew what they were talking about. Libby has been an institution on Southside for so many years...it just wouldn't be the same without her.
I was at the nursery yesterday afternoon & had to park about a block away....lots of buying folks there. The paths that are normally just wide enough to squeeze through are now four to five feet wide. Lots of stuff gone, but still plenty of good buys. Hope everyone continues to support her businesses.

It could be Operation New Birmingham. They are fairly aggressive about keeping businesses open downtown, from what I understand. My friends own an Italian restaurant on 20th Street, and ONB pays for all of their customer parking validation in nearby garages. Of course, that's a far cry from bailing out a failing business, but they may have programs for that as well.

They would do better by staying open later in the evening during the week during the warm months when days are long, opening on Sunday and closing on Monday.

Yes, I agree. Speaking from experience, there are numerous shops in Montgomery, including a couple of nurseries, that I have never visited, b/c they close right around 5 or 5:30 - which is the time i get off every day.

If anyone is passing on these ideas to her, i would think the change in hours for warmer months is something she should definitely look into. Particularly since the way i understand it, she is an area that is mostly business now (I don't know a whole lot about Bham, obviously).