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For
most of its history DSH was strictly a mail order business.
On average, 3000 orders arrived each day during the season
and all had to be manually filled. The biggest mail to arrive
in one day was over 4000 orders. The operation was large enough
that it had it's own postal station and customers in every
postal station in the country. A good relationship also existed
with the CNR for express delivery. A railroad car would be
left on a siding on Fridays, waiting for the DSH order to
be shipped.
At
Dominion Seed House, product quality was constantly monitored.
Bradley made it his practice to personally visit all of his
suppliers regardless of where they were located in the world
and seed germination rates were regularly tested at DSH.
Although
the business was situated on a 60 acre site, almost all of
the products sold were imported from growers located all over
the world. Primarily the customers were Canadians from coast
to coast to coast. The catalogue was its sole sales force.
The
catalogue began in a black and white digest format. Once colour
was introduced in 1980 sales shot up dramatically. Descriptions
of the products were at first all written by Bill Bradley
and later by the general managers. They seemed to have a flair
for writing a truthful yet interesting text to peek the interest
of gardeners. During the 1970's and 80's an average of about
200,000 catalogues were distributed annually, peaking at 259,000.
There was also an additional fall bulb catalogue.
The
famous mock-tudor building came to symbolize the business
for Canadian gardeners. It was not unusual for visitors from
across the country to make the trip to Georgetown to see the
building where their seeds came from. One section of this
building was painted every summer and it took 5 years to complete
the job.
In
1952 Bill Bradley died at the age of 66 and left the business
to his wife, Alexandrina Bradley and their daughter Margaret
Harding. The business continued to thrive under successive
managers, Pharis Vannatter, Bill Kay and Doug Peck. In 1980,
Dominion Seed House was chosen Business of the Year by the
Georgetown Chamber of Commerce.
In
response to public demand, in 1981 a garden center was added.
Margaret Harding insisted that the new addition be as attractive
as the original building and commissioned flag stone facades
to be built at the new entrance.
Over
the years, DSH became one of the largest mail order supplier
of seeds and plants in Canada for commercial and home gardeners.
Canadian gardeners were introduced to a vast and reliable
variety of quality seeds, bulbs and plants from around the
world.
In
1988 DSH celebrated 60 years in business with a garden party
complete with a live band and horse drawn wagon rides.
In
1993, the Dominion Seed House business was sold and continues
to operate. The Georgetown property was sold in 1998 for redevelopment.
In 1999 the DSH building was demolished. Now the stone walls
of the sunken garden are all that remains of this once famous
symbol in Canadian gardening history.
Sources:
Halton Sketches Revisited by John McDonald, Moulin Publishing
Ltd. 1996
Conversations with Norma Thompson, Office Administrator and
Doug Peck, General Manager both 45 year employees of DSH and
Duncan McFarlane Property Manager and 20 year DSH employee
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