Crescent Avenue Gardens Is the Logo for Consistency
Written for the Readers’ Choice Awards publication from the Fort Wayne Newspapers, Fall 2020. One of 37 pieces written for the insert.
When Raymond Karst purchased Crescent Avenue Gardens on February 1, 1959, the former farmer sold primarily landscaping items like fertilizer, flowers, and Christmas trees. Raymond, a workhorse, put in the hours, seven days a week. Before opening Crescent Avenue, Karst, with his brother-in-law, opened Garden Gate, a garden shop, on Calhoun St.
Crescent Avenue, however, didn’t transition into power equipment until the 1970s, a move that locked in the company’s identity for consumers for the next five decades.
Experimentation in business philosophy was never really necessary. “No, we never had to experiment, but you never know what’s going to happen day-by-day either,” joked Manager Gayle Shuster. “We’re always creating. But we’re pretty much set on power equipment. We got something for every season.”
When his son Gary took over, almost six years ago, he wasn’t trying to ruin a great thing. “[My dad] had it open this way for many years, I figured I’d just keep it the way it is.”
Apart from the owners, the neighborhood surrounding 2725 Crescent Avenue hasn’t changed that much either. “It’s been a real nice neighborhood: calm and quiet,” Shuster said. “The younger families that have moved in have taken real good care of their homes.”
Crescent Avenue has always catered to home owners, who’ve had to adjust to self-quarantines and working from home these last months due to COVID-19. The business has seen a bump in sales of their chainsaws (in particular), trimmers, mowers, and zero-turn mowers — products offered by the big boys like Billy Goat, Stihl, and Toro.
Crescent Avenue has won a Readers’ Choice Award nine years in a row. Stihl and Toro recognized it as a top seller for 11 straight years; in 2019, it was the territory winner for Stihl products.
For COVID-19, the store was only closed for two weeks, long enough for grass to grow.