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Scottsdale Farms continues to grow By SYDNEY DANGREMOND sydney@appenmedia.com MILTON, Ga. — What began as a momand-pop garden center run out of two greenhouses and a barn has blossomed over the past 22 years into an agricultural cornucopia off Birmingham Highway. Scottsdale Farms now houses thousands of plants, trees, shrubs and garden supplies on 65 acres. That’s in addition to a café, a home goods store, a boutique, a farm, seasonal Christmas tree lots and pumpkin patches and a playground for young children. The business has grown and diversified steadily over the past two decades, owner Kathy Gianturco said. “I know people have said, ‘find your niche and stick to it,’ but I’ve just continued to go like, ‘well if they like pillows, maybe they’ll like rugs, and if they like rugs, maybe they’ll like mirrors,’” Gianturco said. It all started when she realized the majority of her customers were women, and she decided to expand to products she thought would appeal to her base. Since then, she has yet to find an area that hasn’t resonated with her devoted customers. Kathy runs the business with her exhusband Luca, focusing on the interior, boutique and café sides of the business, while Luca runs the garden center. “I buy everything non-living, and he buys everything living,” Kathy said. Alpharetta resident Brianna Evans has been coming to Scottsdale Farms
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SYDNEY DANGREMOND/APPEN MEDIA
Scottsdale Farms houses thousands of plants, trees, shrubs and garden supplies on 65 acres in Milton off Birmingham Highway. a couple times a month for years, even before her two kids were born, and says her visits always turn into an event. The variety of offerings is what keeps her coming back. “For the kids, it’s definitely the animals and the playground, but then as a mom, I’ll come here with my girlfriends and we’ll get coffee and lunch and sit out on the picnic tables,” Evans said. “And
I’m a really big gardener so I normally buy dirt every time I come.” The Gianturco’s are joined by a rotating group of 78 employees who help Scottsdale Farms run, including the pair’s children, and one day, Kathy hopes, their grandchildren. Jodi Galloway is one of the business’ newest employees who joined the staff
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See SCOTTSDALE, Page 21
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Greenway trailhead reopens at Halcyon with new amenities FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A 2-mile portion of Forsyth’s County’s Big Creek Greenway reopened March 22 after more than a year of repairs. The reopening also launched the greenway’s new Halcyon Trailhead on Cortland Walk. The portion of the trail from McFarland Parkway to Union Hill Road closed in late 2020 as the county replaced wooden boardwalks and raised the trail profile in some areas. The trailhead includes parking access and new restroom facilities. County leaders gathered at the trailhead March 22 for a ribbon cutting on the reopened portion. Parks & Recreation Director Jim Pryor said the county had faced difficulties with the renovation, but that the new trail infrastructure would last far longer than the old one. He said the 2-mile stretch had previously been made mostly of all-wood boardwalks, but the new trail has steel truss supports under the wooden deck that will last longer and make future maintenance easier. Pryor said the county is currently working on another portion of the greenway near Fowler Park. “As Forsyth County continues to
See HALCYON, Page 17