Words by Sheryl Nonnenberg
Take a drive on Alpine Road to the Ladera Country Shopper if you want to see the old adage of “do what you love and love what you do” put into action. At the far end of this popular neighborhood shopping center, you’ll find Ladera Garden and Gifts. Mercedes and Juan Navarro, who have owned this business since 1981, are not only passionate about flowers, plants and gift items but also about providing the best, most personalized service to everyone who enters their shop.
The Navarros only have time to talk to me on a Monday—the one day the garden center is closed to the public. The rest of the week finds the couple happily helping customers. Juan, who is outgoing and gregarious, jokes that he has no other hobbies because “work is a hobby.” “I like plants—they keep me entertained,” he says. Mercedes, soft-spoken and a bit shy, lights up when describing how much she enjoys finding the perfect plant or flower arrangement. “It’s fun and exciting,” she smiles, “and we love it.”
The American Dream is alive and well for the Navarros, who are something of a textbook case. They were both born to large families and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, though that’s not where they met. Both came to the United States in 1970 looking for opportunity. Juan grew up on a farm raising crops that helped keep his family fed. Upon arriving in the U.S., he took any job he could find, including a factory position where he met Mercedes. A part-time job in a nursery soon led to a full-time position and Juan was hooked.
In 1979, he and Mercedes began working at a small nursery located on the same site as the current Ladera Garden and Gifts. It was owned by an older couple who were planning to retire. They encouraged the Navarros to undertake a sort of apprenticeship, which lasted for two years. “I learned on the job,” Juan says. Even after working closely with the previous owners, Juan and Mercedes both admit that they still had a lot to learn about running a business. “It was a risk, but we didn’t have much to lose,” Juan jokes.
The pair formally took over in 1981 and immediately began to make it their own. Mercedes, who had some previous experience working with cut flowers, decided to start offering flower arrangements. She created a space inside for florist services and indoor plants, while Juan focused on the outdoor nursery business.
When a retail space adjacent to the nursery became available, they expanded into several rooms that became the gift shop. “We have three businesses in one: the garden, the flower shop and the gifts,” says Juan. The evolution of the gift shop in 2006 was clearly the brainchild of Mercedes. She invited two longtime customers, Mary Adams and Patty Brady, both locally known interior designers and artists, to join the business and fill the new space with glassware, candles, soaps and art pieces. “They do all the interior displays,” explains Juan. “They do a beautiful job.”
Everything from French soaps, decorative vases, specialty houseware items, jewelry and perfumes are carefully curated and displayed in a manner befitting a high-end boutique. Inventory changes frequently and Mary and Patty refresh the displays every Monday when the nursery is closed. Mary and Patty get a little emotional when talking about why they joined the Navarros. “We were friends and customers of Juan and Mercedes before we started here and we both admired them so much,” says Mary. “It has been a match made in heaven.”
To source the shop’s unique items, Patty says the four of them travel to Atlanta every January to attend a huge gift convention. “We split up, shop around and meet at the end of the day for a cocktail,” she laughs. Although there are thousands of objects to see, she said that by now, the group has figured out where to go and what to avoid. She and Mary have a good sense of what will sell in Ladera and say that the trend now skews toward contemporary items.
Even with the advantage of being a one-stop shop for plants, flowers and gifts, the Navarros say that it’s not easy to own a family business. They have a small staff and it really bothers them if their customers have to wait in lines. A bad Yelp review can totally ruin Juan’s day. “We have great customers and we can devote more time to them,” says Mercedes, “and when people go home happy, that’s a good thing.” When it was pointed out that people often have to search to find any help at the big box stores, they both laughed. “We cannot compare ourselves to Home Depot. We can’t have a price war because they will beat us,” reasons Juan. “So, we have to be something different.”
Juan says he knows his clientele so well that he can anticipate their needs months in advance. And he has the advantage of being able to order unusual or rare plants that you just won’t find in a typical big box store. “People like the experience of coming here,” Juan notes. “They may walk around and see something they have never seen before.”
The Navarros encouraged their three children to pursue whatever careers they wanted. Daniel is an electrician who works at San Francisco International Airport but Adrianna and Marco followed their parents into nursery work and now own the Ladera Garden and Gifts in the Carlmont Shopping Center in Belmont. This is clearly a source of great pride for both Mercedes and Juan, who laughingly observes, “They are learning the ups and downs of this business.”
Even after all these years running Ladera Garden and Gifts, Juan and Mercedes say they have no plans to retire. They recognize that they are filling a unique niche for Peninsula residents. “We appreciate people who support us; they know it is a family business and that we are providing work for our employees,” explains Juan.
He worries that people may think their location in Ladera is off the beaten track and points out that Interstate 280 is just up the road. “We draw customers from Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and Redwood City,” he says proudly. With a huge smile, Juan adds, “Come and check us out!”