Country Fair used to be one of my favorite local garden stores (Tagawa and Paulino's are wonderful but too far to go to very often). Part of the local Welby Gardens chain, it was pricey but had a good selection of annuals, perennials and shrubs, really nice pre-planted pots and hanging baskets, and a friendly staff. Best of all for a rabid gardener like me, they had a nice ""incentive"" program that gave points for purchases. Over the winter it apparently changed ownership or management, and while the store is bigger now, there are several negatives.
First, the bigger store is a bit deceptive, as the greenhouse and patio where the plants are stayed the same size. What they have more of is pots (mostly the glazed Asian type) and vaguely garden-themed ""stuff."" Second, the whole atmosphere is much less friendly. For example, instead of being able to walk right onto the patio from the parking lot, now there is a single entry which takes you into the store itself, and separate exit -- as they suspected their customers might shop-lift. Worse, the new incentive program is completely NOT user-friendly: instead of simply being able to give your name to the cashier to look up on their database to keep track of points earned, now you have to carry a PUNCH CARD! LIke most people I hate carrying a bunch of cards around.... and in addition, there are restrictions on how many punches you can earn and cards you can redeem per visit.
My final gripe: they don't offer recycling of plastic plant containers unless they are specifically from a Welby Gardens store. My advice: try Groundcovers, about 2 blocks away.
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