After a disastrous start to 2009, in which Riverside Garden Centre fell victim to intense flooding as the River Lee burst its banks back in February, the Garden Centre has opened its doors to the new building today, housing extensive Pet and Kitchenware shops .
The Garden Centre itself remains in the east side of the building, extending out parallel to the river with dedicated showroom space now available where the pet and kitchen products temporarily lived. Over the summer, the garden centre's pet and kitchen departments has grown with demand to the point in which it warranted shop space of its own, and the decision was made to reserve much of the new building for these shops with the remainder being allocated to a brand new stylish restaurant, due for completion in early December, which was all but destroyed in the flood.
Riverside's Thai Restaurant set in its idyllic setting overlooking the river and fields was always a big draw, particularly in the summer months, and it was never a question whether a new restaurant should be built.
"I would always be answering calls from customers throughout summer to see if the restaurant was still open. They would be travelling long distances just to visit the restaurant and didn’t want a wasted trip, and unfortunately this year because of its closure, I had to disappoint every time" says Rick Eliason, part of Riverside's Internet Marketing team.
As much of the garden furniture showroom space, always one of Riverside's biggest sellers, had to be converted to hold other stock, meaning Riverside could not possibly operate at its full potential. However, with a lot of hard work from staff and management alike, and many late nights from Russell and Jo Jeffery, Riverside's dedicated owners, the result, even in its early stages seems to be a justified success.
Today marks that turning point, and with customers lining up before the doors had even opened and a brimming car park as I write this, suggests that the rest of 2009 will be bright for Riverside Garden Centre as former glory is restored.
The Garden Centre itself remains in the east side of the building, extending out parallel to the river with dedicated showroom space now available where the pet and kitchen products temporarily lived. Over the summer, the garden centre's pet and kitchen departments has grown with demand to the point in which it warranted shop space of its own, and the decision was made to reserve much of the new building for these shops with the remainder being allocated to a brand new stylish restaurant, due for completion in early December, which was all but destroyed in the flood.
Riverside's Thai Restaurant set in its idyllic setting overlooking the river and fields was always a big draw, particularly in the summer months, and it was never a question whether a new restaurant should be built.
"I would always be answering calls from customers throughout summer to see if the restaurant was still open. They would be travelling long distances just to visit the restaurant and didn’t want a wasted trip, and unfortunately this year because of its closure, I had to disappoint every time" says Rick Eliason, part of Riverside's Internet Marketing team.
As much of the garden furniture showroom space, always one of Riverside's biggest sellers, had to be converted to hold other stock, meaning Riverside could not possibly operate at its full potential. However, with a lot of hard work from staff and management alike, and many late nights from Russell and Jo Jeffery, Riverside's dedicated owners, the result, even in its early stages seems to be a justified success.
Today marks that turning point, and with customers lining up before the doors had even opened and a brimming car park as I write this, suggests that the rest of 2009 will be bright for Riverside Garden Centre as former glory is restored.
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