Pike Nurseries operates 19 garden centers around Atlanta and Charlotte.
Home Depot operates 2,359 stores, did $164.7 billion in sales in fiscal 2025, and is headquartered in Atlanta.
So a 19-store garden chain is competing with a $164 billion retailer in that retailer’s own hometown, in a category the giant sells at lower prices.
And Pike charges more. Openly. For plants that frequently look identical on the shelf.
People pay it. Which means either they are making a mistake, or the plants are not identical.
It turns out to be the second one, and the reason is more interesting than it sounds.