This content was published: May 17, 2007. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
PCC helps garden tool company grow up
Photos and Story by James Hill
If you’ve ever watched the cable channel QVC, then you know about Grampa’s Weeder.
Grampa’s Gardenware Company of Lake Oswego makes the long-handled weed puller – a simple lever design that extracts weeds easily without bending down. The company has 10 major accounts and QVC is its largest customer. Through a connection at a trade show, owner Cathy Shroyer found a broker who was willing to present the product to the TV retailer. In March of 2003, Shroyer went live for the first time in front of millions of households selling Grampa’s Weeder. 
“They gave us 10 minutes and said if sales were under 1,000, we wouldn’t be coming back, and the next thing I know, we sell out all 3,300 tools in only six minutes,” said Shroyer, whose product can be found at Ace Hardware.
In 2006, Shroyer and her husband Greg had turned to the Small Business Development Center of Portland Community College to help them define the business model best suited for the fast-growing company. They were trying to be all things to all people and knew change was necessary in order to operate successfully.
She first met with former director of education Jackie Babicky-Peterson, who counseled them on financial issues. A meeting with SBDC Director Tom Lowles helped give them the confidence to apply for a line of credit.
Grampa’s Weeder all began when Greg ran across the tool in a garage cleanup the summer of 1999. The weed puller had been a favorite yard tool of Cathy’s mother, who had passed away in 1993. He was intrigued with the implement. He’d never seen one and wondered if they were currently manufactured, which led to research and a decision to make up a batch of 200 in their garage with his brother and test market at the Expo Christmas bazaar that year.
“All the vendors laughed at us,” said Cathy, a Lake Oswego mother of three. “We had shown up with our one little weed puller. ‘Bless your hearts. Have a good show,’ they’re telling us and we sell out the first day.”
That was seven years ago. The company has doubled its sales each year, with $750,000 in revenues in 2006. For the 2008, they are introducing four additional garden tools: Grampa’s Aerator, Grampa’s Edger, Grampa’s Stir-Up-Hoe, and Grampa’s Do-It-All.
To find out more, visit their Web site at: www.grampasweeder.com, or call 503-349-6613.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »