Skillins Greenhouses

What Skillins Greenhouses does

Skillins Greenhouses is a fifth-generation, family-owned retail greenhouse and garden center founded in 1885 in Falmouth, Maine. The company operates three retail locations in Brunswick, Falmouth, and Cumberland serving the greater Portland, Maine metro area, plus a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront with local delivery across southern Maine. Core offerings center on locally grown "Skillins Grown" plants — annuals, mums, poinsettias, hanging baskets, Christmas trees, shrubs, and evergreens — cultivated in part at its own Mountainview Farm.

The company runs four revenue streams: retail plant and supply sales, a full-service florist (Designer's Choice tiers from $50 to $150, plus wedding and sympathy arrangements), a wholesale division serving landscapers and other green-industry businesses, and bulk landscape materials (mulch, loam, compost). Auxiliary lines include Espoma organic fertilizers and soils, Jiffy and Jump Start seed-starting systems, grow lights, lawn care, bird products, tools, gift cards, classes, and an online plant guide via a BloomCatch partnership. Pricing is uniformly unit-based, pay-as-you-go with low-to-mid ticket sizes across categories.

Go-to-market is hybrid: three physical retail showrooms anchor the customer experience, supplemented by direct-to-consumer e-commerce, local delivery within southern Maine, a wholesale channel for commercial buyers, and a referral arrangement with Revision Energy for residential solar (Skillin's Solar). Customer segments span home gardeners, gift purchasers, wedding and event customers, and wholesale buyers — a diversified, low-concentration base. The business carries no external funding, no parent company, and no disclosed AI or technology platform beyond standard e-commerce tooling.

Name

Skillins Greenhouses

Legal name

Skillins Greenhouses

Website

https://skillins.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1885

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Skillins Greenhouses is a fifth-generation Maine family retail greenhouse and garden center, founded in 1885, operating three locations in greater Portland, Maine plus e-commerce. It sells locally grown plants, gardening supplies, full-service florals, and bulk landscape materials to home gardeners, event customers, and wholesale buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Garden Center

NAICS

Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Florists (45931)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers) (CRAIAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Landscape Plant & Nursery Stock Wholesalers (Grower-Wholesalers) (AFAGAHAM), Greenhouse Floriculture (Cut Flowers) (AFAGAHAD), Soils, Mulch, Fertilizers & Lawn Care Chemicals Retail (CRAIAIAC)

Keywords

• Retail greenhouse plants
• Garden center supplies
• Florist services
• Wholesale nursery
• Landscaping materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Falmouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Plant Sales: Sale of greenhouse-grown and sourced plants including annuals, mums, poinsettias, hanging baskets, gift plants, and seasonal offerings through retail stores and e-commerce.
2. Florist Services: Full-service florist providing wedding floral arrangements, sympathy arrangements, and custom floral designs for events.
3. Wholesale: Wholesale division supplying plants and gardening materials to other businesses.
4. Bulk Materials: Bulk delivery of mulch, loam, compost and other landscaping materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Skillins Greenhouses grows and sells plants, floral arrangements, gardening supplies, and bulk landscaping materials through three retail locations (Brunswick, Falmouth, Cumberland) in southern Maine and a Shopify e-commerce storefront. The company also operates a wholesale division serving other green-industry businesses and a full-service florist for weddings and sympathy designs.

Product overview

Skillins Greenhouses is a fifth-generation Maine family retail nursery established in 1885, operating three physical locations (Brunswick, Falmouth, Cumberland) plus an e-commerce store. Their core offerings center on locally grown Skillins Grown plants including annuals, mums, poinsettias, Christmas trees, shrubs, and evergreens from Mountainview Farm. The product portfolio spans Floral Arrangements (Designer's Choice tiers from $50-$150, Classic Hydrangea Bowl, sympathy and wedding services), Gift Plants (Skillins Grown hanging baskets in Begonia, Super Petunia, Ivy Geranium; Clean Air Houseplants; Growers Choice Indoor Dish arrangements), Fertilizers (Espoma organic line with 30+ products including Plant Tone since 1929, Garden Tone, Rose Tone, Tree Tone, Turf Tone, specialty feeds for Orchid/Violet/Cactus/Tomato, and Bio Tone Starter Plus), Soils (Espoma Potting Mix with Myco-tone, Orchid Mix, Moisture Mix, African Violet Mix, Charcol), Seed Starting (Jiffy pellets, peat pots, greenhouse kits, Jump Start T5 grow lights, heat mats, Botanical Interests seeds), Lawn Products, Tools, Bird Products, Mulch/Bulk Materials, and Gift Cards. The company also offers wholesale services, a Plant Guide, native plants via BloomCatch partnership, solar services via Revision Energy partnership, and seasonal events like Georgia Peach Truck. Powered by Shopify e-commerce platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Floral Arrangements Skillins Grown and locally crafted floral arrangements including Designer's Choice tiers ($50-$150), Classic Hydrangea Bowl, sympathy dish gardens, and custom wedding bouquets created by in-house designers. Targets individual gift-givers, sympathy purchasers, and Maine wedding couples.
• Gift Plants Skillins Grown hanging baskets (Begonia, Super Petunia, Ivy Geranium 10\") and indoor houseplants including Clean Air Assorted Houseplants, Growers Choice Indoor Dish, Sympathy Dish Garden, Peace Lily, Orchid, and Nantucket Bucket. Targets individual consumers and gift shoppers.
• Lawn Products Lawn care products including fertilizers, grass seeds, and related supplies for residential lawn maintenance. Targets home gardeners maintaining residential lawns.
• Fertilizers (Espoma Organic Line) Espoma organic fertilizer line with 30+ products including Plant Tone (since 1929), Garden Tone, Rose Tone, Tree Tone, Turf Tone, specialty feeds for orchid/violet/cactus/tomato, and Bio Tone Starter Plus. Targets home gardeners.
• Soils and Growing Media Espoma organic soil products including Potting Mix with Myco-tone, Orchid Mix, Moisture Mix, African Violet Mix, and Charcol; also Sprout Island Seed Starter organic blend and No Damp Off seed starting medium. Targets home gardeners and indoor plant growers.
• Seed Starting Supplies Complete seed starting ecosystem including Jiffy pellets, peat pots, greenhouse kits, Jump Start Germination Station, heat mats, Cowpots, Botanical Interests seeds, Espoma Bio Tone Starter Plus, and Jump Start T5 grow light fixtures (24W 2' and 54W 4'). Targets home gardeners starting plants from seed.
• Gardening Tools Hand tools and equipment for gardening and plant care. Targets home gardeners and landscapers.
• Bird Products Products for attracting and feeding birds to the garden. Targets residential gardeners interested in wildlife.
• Mulch and Bulk Materials Bulk delivery of mulch, loam, compost, and other landscape materials. Targets home gardeners and property owners.
• Wholesale Services Wholesale pricing and services for commercial customers, landscape professionals, and businesses in the green industry. Targets landscapers, garden centers, and commercial property managers.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards available in any amount with free shipping. Targets gardeners and gift purchasers.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Revision Energy (Skillin's Solar)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkillin's Solar is a partnership with Revision Energy to offer solar energy solutions. The page promotes solar installation services as part of Skillins' commitment to sustainability. Customers can learn about solar options through Skillins' website, which redirects to Revision Energy for installation services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Armstrong Garden Centers: Large family-owned independent garden center chain serving California. Operates a similar multi-store retail nursery model with in-house growing, but in a different climate and geography, making it a useful regional benchmarking peer.
• Calloway's Nursery: Texas-based independent garden center chain with multiple retail locations and a strong regional brand. Comparable in operating model (multi-store independent nursery) but not in direct geography.

Direct peers

• Mahoney's Garden Centers: Family-owned multi-location garden center chain serving eastern Massachusetts. Highly comparable business model combining retail nursery, florist, and landscape supply across several stores in a similar New England climate and customer demographic.
• Russell's Garden Center: Independent, family-operated garden center in Wayland, Massachusetts, offering annuals, perennials, shrubs, garden supplies, and seasonal offerings. Comparable to Skillins as a New England independent nursery with deep local roots and in-house growing.
• Weston Nurseries: Long-established, family-owned New England garden center with multiple locations, full-service florist, and landscaping supply. Closely comparable to Skillins in heritage, multi-channel retail, and breadth of products across plants, hardscape, and florist services.
• Van Wilgen's Garden Center: Multi-generation family garden center in Connecticut combining a retail nursery, bulk landscape supply (mulch, soil, stone), and garden services. Closely comparable in scale, channel mix, and family-ownership profile to Skillins.
• Hewins Gardens: Maine-based garden center serving local gardeners with plants, landscaping materials, and seasonal products. Comparable as a same-state independent competitor in the southern Maine market where Skillins operates.
• Estabrook's: Local Maine garden center competitor operating in the Yarmouth/greater Portland region. Directly competes with Skillins for the same southern Maine homeowner customer base across plants, garden supplies, and seasonal offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Lowe's: National home improvement retailer with full seasonal garden centers selling plants, fertilizers, soils, mulches, and tools. A direct competitor in commodity lawn and garden categories across the same regional customer pool.
• The Home Depot: National home improvement retailer with a sizable garden center assortment including plants, soils, fertilizers, tools, and bulk materials. Competes directly with Skillins in commodity garden input categories at scale and convenience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Skillins
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SkillinsGreenhouses/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/SkillinsGreenhouses

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Skillins Greenhouses