Holland Gardens owners speak on retirement, serving Lubbock for decades

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - For decades, one couple has been catering to Lubbock residents’ green thumb and holiday spirit.

Now, 60 years after opening, Holland Gardens’ owners Wayne and Ann Holland are retiring and closing up shop.

Their business started with a passion they shared during their time at Texas Tech.

“We were thinking about something to get into that we’d both enjoy,” Wayne said. “We had taken horticulture classes out at Tech and really had enjoyed those.

That experience led to the couple opening a garden center that grew into the blooming business we know today, a part of building landscapes across the city.

“We’ve done tens of thousands of landscapes here in Lubbock,” Ann said.

And that’s only part of what Holland Gardens has done over the years. Wayne says they started selling other merchandise to stay profitable all year long.

“We thought about the Christmas business,” Wayne said. “So, then we started our Christmas as the other alternative for the season.”

The rest is Hub City history. A history many residents have had the opportunity to be part of.

For Wayne and Ann, it was those customers who made their years in business so special.

“They are just really beautiful,” Ann said. “With how they want to tell us how much they’ve appreciated it all this time.”

With the end of their lease approaching, the Hollands say it’s time to focus on another group of people they hold dear.

“We have good kids,” Ann said. “Good children that are in good businesses here in Lubbock, and love what they do, and we’re so pleased with that, grandchildren the same way.”

They’ll also have more time to enjoy experiences that have been put on hold over the past six decades.

“We just decided to retire while we still felt good,” Wayne said. “Do some traveling and have a little fun and go some places we haven’t had the time to go in the past.”

Now after 60 years of catering to green thumbs and Christmas enthusiasts everything must go. All except for the memories.

“It’s been a learning experience to say the least,” Wayne said. “But it’s been a fun experience.”

“It’s time,” Ann said. “It’s time for us to have some quiet time, occasionally.”