Brian Curee: 0:11

Welcome back to the Vero Beach Podcast. We are on part two here, where we're interviewing Spencer from DIGG Gardens, and during this episode we're going to talk about the behind the scenes. So, spencer, can you give us some insight into the DIGG experience? What is it like on a typical day or a week running the DIGG Gardens? Wow?

Spencer Porteous: 0:31

It's pretty interesting. It's exciting. Every single day is different. Every single day we have a direction where we're going to go. You know we set goals, weekly, monthly, yearly, like where we're going to go. So we kind of have guardrails of, okay, we're going in this direction. Some days you're cruising right along with the cruise control on Everything's cool. Other days you're just bouncing like rail the rail, like boom, boom, boom. Oh.

Spencer Porteous: 0:58

Like today we go to plant some trees. Oh, the, the baby skid steer is conking out. So you know, it's probably a fuel filter. We had to load it up and take it down to get checked out, just in case, and get service. So now we don't have the machine. Now what are we gonna do? Oh, we'll go back to the shop and get the big machine. But oh, we don't have the trailer because the trailer had just taken the machine down. So, okay, we'll wait on those two trees and we'll come back tomorrow.

Spencer Porteous: 1:22

So how can we keep busy to finish everything we can today? And that was just that one job. You know, it's every day like I'll be driving to work and be like, okay, I'm going to do this, this, this and this. Then the phone rings. You know, the AC doesn't work at the shop, or you know, oh, the plant truck that was supposed to be here this morning isn't here, so you're waiting on plant trucks. Or you know there's always a flat tire. Oh, my God, I can't do it. Knock on wood. Knock on wood If you have one car and you get maybe what like one flat a year, just for example.

Shawna Curee: 2:03

Yes, well, we have with all the trucks and trailers and everybody's cars and equipment.

Spencer Porteous: 2:05

we have close to 100 tires, so divided by 52 weeks, that's like two flats a week. Oh, my goodness, you know to start to get to the shop, you know. And then the batteries. You know, batteries for all this stuff.

Brian Curee: 2:11

I love that you're pointing this all out because you know you guys have a plan, you have guardrails like this is where we're going, this is the direction we want to go, but all this stuff happens that you do not have control over. I'm sure weather never has anything to do with it.

Brian Curee: 2:24

But all these things that can change your entire day. How do you do it without losing your mind and how do you empower your team to be like, hey, this is part of it. I could see it could become overwhelming and maybe frustrating to people, but it's things.

Spencer Porteous: 2:41

That's just out of your control. So how do you? How do you do that? The main thing is to have all of the correct stuff to fix everything. You know we're up in winter beach, so we're right by Moody tires, which is you guys need to check them out, that's a family owned business. And Pat started it. Now his sons have taken it over and they've been there forever. Those guys are the best. We have spare tires for all the trucks and trailers, and then we have extra extras too.

Shawna Curee: 3:06

That's perfect.

Spencer Porteous: 3:06

Every day is a super challenge and there's always stuff is going to happen. But you just, you can't let it bother you, you can't. If you did, if I let everything bother me like this, oh my gosh, I wouldn't be doing this. It's hard owning your own business. People are like, oh man, nice truck. Oh, look, they're killing it. Oh man, I see your trucks everywhere. You guys own some hey, big money. It's like if you don't own a small business. You have no idea.

Brian Curee: 3:35

It's a lot different and I think that we've. We talk about that often, about the illusion the social media gives of what it's like to be an entrepreneur or a small business owner, but you don't really. You don't see what's really going on behind the scenes. What would you say is something that most people don't know about what goes on every day the buying and selling and the sourcing of stuff.

Spencer Porteous: 3:54

There's different grades of plants Really Buying and selling and the sourcing of stuff there's different grades of plants. Really there's Florida fancy, there's like A grade and then there's floral grade Because, like all the plants in production that go to the florists and the grocery stores, that's a different grade of plants.

Brian Curee: 4:08

What I didn't know that.

Spencer Porteous: 4:09

And then there's like commercial grade, like a new target's going in and they're just slapping stuff in, okay, like they're just slapping stuff in, okay, and then Like they're landscaping, you mean, right, okay. And then there's like industrial grade plants too, like the turnpike, you see, or the road construction and stuff.

Spencer Porteous: 4:24

For trees to go on a job, it has to be a Florida number one tree. It's got to have a central leader going up straight through. It can't have a you know, a fork in it, because if it has a fork in it then it could split in a storm. So the commercial, so that the city has codes that you have to go by. The county has a different set of codes that you go by.

Spencer Porteous: 4:43

That is so interesting Like with the caliper, how big the tree is the trunk, the caliper, the overall height, the spread of the tree. You know, when you do jobs that are getting inspected then you have to hit the specs. So that's stressy Wow.

Shawna Curee: 4:56

Oh, I bet.

Spencer Porteous: 4:57

And they had you know 200 of them. Then, oh, I got this on this job and you call them. Oh, we're out. What? Yeah, yeah, someone from Texas just bought them all.

Shawna Curee: 5:06

Oh my gosh.

Spencer Porteous: 5:08

What's happened with the Texas freeze, not last year, but the year before, and then the back-to-back hurricanes on the West Coast and they're building the big like Pulte Homes and DR Horton all that expansion going on too. They're buying thousands of trees, thousands of plants. This is the hardest time to buy plants like I've ever seen. I deal with a lot of mom and pop growers because, like in small business, there's small business growers, sure, and then there's corporate growers too, okay, and I'm like buying from family farms that now I'm dealing with people's kids and then, like grandkids now, sure, wow. So I've been, you know, have relationships with, with my vendors for, you know, 25, 30 years now.

Shawna Curee: 5:49

Yeah, that's so beautiful.

Spencer Porteous: 5:51

Yeah, the real hard to find plants is you ask like I'll go to my guys, and they're like I don't know, let me ask somebody, and then they'll go to their, the friends, the growers, friends, and then sometimes it goes like two or three layers, four layers deep friend of a friend of a friend of. Oh yeah, I got them. That's crazy, you know, that's just buying the plants.

Spencer Porteous: 6:15

And you know, it's not like buying two by fours. These things are alive and then not. A lot of them are like oh well, we don't ship, you know. So you either got to go pick up or get another kit, a common carrier.

Brian Curee: 6:21

There's so much more involved. Uh, even just going to like the different ratings of plants, I would never even thought of that.

Shawna Curee: 6:28

I've never heard of that?

Brian Curee: 6:29

Yeah, I didn't know that this is very, very, very, very insightful.

Spencer Porteous: 6:33

I do a great job buying. I love it. I love the thrill of the hunt, you know. I can get that. I'm going to get a good deal, so I keep our costs low there. So with our pricing we're cheaper than the chain stores.

Shawna Curee: 6:46

Okay, so how on top of trends do you try to stay when it comes to houseplants? And what I mean by that is, I've been into houseplants since I was a little kid, but during COVID I got into joining Facebook groups that are houseplant specific, which is, people can be maniacs maniacs, yes, but it's so dangerous because, then you start seeing everyone's plans and you start a wish list. So I have seen this big, let's say evolution around Monstera Albo being $2,000 to now they're $40 at Costco.

Spencer Porteous: 8:03

Yes.

Shawna Curee: 8:03

And how much do you try to capitalize on something that's trending like that?

Spencer Porteous: 8:09

That's a real dangerous game to get in as being a retailer, because if you're always chasing a trend, Then the trend stops yeah. And then all your eggs are in one basket, or all the trends don't hit, or you catch the trend too late.

Shawna Curee: 8:21

Which I think about that, like people who were selling these plants for thousands of dollars, now everyone can get them everywhere. It's like probably a complete, like disruption to their income stream.

Spencer Porteous: 8:34

I'm just going to talk like some lingo in the biz.

Shawna Curee: 8:37

Oh yeah, let's hear it.

Spencer Porteous: 8:38

So the smart thing to do, and what we do is like we carry. As far as houseplants go, you have to have 80% spinach, you got to have the spinach, you got to have the lettuce like at a salad bar.

Shawna Curee: 8:51

Yeah.

Spencer Porteous: 8:51

All the basics. You go to a salad bar. Here's your different types of lettuce. Yeah, there's probably like 25 or 30 plants that sell because they're really cool, they're super easy to take care of and if you're just getting into plants, you want to have stuff that you succeed, to build confidence, to start getting crazier and crazier stuff.

Shawna Curee: 9:10

Absolutely.

Spencer Porteous: 9:11

We're going on a big plant run to Apopka. That's one of the biggest foliage greenhouse places in the country. So we're going up there Thursday to pick up a load of fresh houseplants. So we get the bread and butter. But the fun part is looking at the availability, oh yeah, and I'm like oh man, what's that? I think we got like seven or eight things coming in that I have no idea what they are. Really I've never seen them in person. When you do your orders with your guys, you put your orders in and the stuff for the shop, and then I always am like what else you got? What else is looking good?

Brian Curee: 9:44

I love too that you're pointing out. I just watched this on. It was like an entrepreneur show, when you're talking about looking at the plants like, hey, we're going to get this, this, this, but then you're getting their advice and what they have.

Spencer Porteous: 10:00

So the grower starts going oh man, you, oh man, you got to see this crop that's come like, and they get jacked up about it. So the grower's excited about it. And then the plants come to the shop. I see it and I'm like, oh man, that's nice. Like for me to say, oh man, that's nice. Like it's a no brainer, the customer is just going to be completely blown away.

Brian Curee: 10:20

That's a really important element there to have as a business owner is what you're doing is not just like well, no, I know what are the best Like we're just going to go that, that, that and then just close everything else off. Being open to say tell me what all you got, Like what else looks good, To invite them, them in to bringing in the right plants and stuff. I love hearing that. I love that.

Shawna Curee: 10:38

And the right customer and the right customer yeah.

Brian Curee: 10:40

So my last question for this part is your website. It described DIGG as an inclusive space to find comfort and happiness. What does that look like?

Spencer Porteous: 10:48

When you walk into the store, what Summer's done with the gift shop. It just sets the tone for the whole experience. It's a super kind, safe place to come in and it's just not a bunch of gifty gift crap, the thought that she puts into this stuff and it's all handmade, local, artisan stuff. We have lines from small business owners from around, like whenever we go on vacation we're always going to gift shops and talking to other business owners and finding new product that way as well. It's just so thoughtful, kind stuff. Like we have people like just break down and cry in our store sometimes, like reading some of the stuff. We've had people like where someone has passed and they just wanted to come in and just be at our shop.

Shawna Curee: 11:31

Wow, that's so special.

Brian Curee: 11:33

We're going to get there. We're going to have to get there. We're going to definitely go check it out. Tell me again what's the address and what's the best way for people that's listening to find out. I guess you have a website they can go check out as well.

Spencer Porteous: 11:43

You can follow us on Instagram or Facebook at digggardens. com. It's three G's in a row. Yes, got it. If I were to do this over again, it would only be DIGG Vanguardians Cause, yeah, I always have to say it's three G's in a row.

Shawna Curee: 11:58

I'm so glad you said that, cause I didn't put it together yet.

Brian Curee: 12:01

Three G's, so remember that.

Shawna Curee: 12:03

Now, that's who you are, so it's too late to go back. Hey, we dig it, we dig it, we dig it. There it is again.

Brian Curee: 12:07

Get one in every episode. This has been a great episode again. Make sure you guys leave a review if you are enjoying the podcast and if you have any questions you can click that text us a link. There's a text us link in the show notes. Just click that and you can send us any questions see you next time, neighbor.