In homes across the county, families sit down at the kitchen table to determine a domestic cost-cutting strategy and wield a red pencil through once sacrosanct items: Extra data lines for Junior’s Internet activities. Susie’s satellite service. Mom and Dad’s shrubbery.

Or maybe not. Bainbridge Gardens reported its first “flat” year in 2000 since opening ten years previously, and owner Junkoh Harui expects this year’s numbers to rise a little — even if everyone else is weathering a downward spiral.

“We don’t suffer as much as many other businesses,” Harui said. “People still garden, no matter what. And in tough times they may garden more. If the price of food gets too high they may start growing their own vegetables.”

Harui is also rare among small businessmen, as he doesn’t fear competition from “box stores” that can easily undercut his prices. Instead, he competes for a share of the recreational dollar. Skiing. Golfing. The Mariners. Trips to Hawaii. Places like Home Depot or Plants-R-Us don’t really make a difference here. “A lot of the large stores just sell the plants and don’t really care if they live or die,” he said. “We are always giving advice to people who have bought plants from a large store and have no idea how to plant them.’

Questions, the Bainbridge Gardens staff cheerfully answer. Harui admits that he would become a little perturbed if someone always sought advice on stuff bought elsewhere, but figures the investment will pay off. “If I answer enough of your questions, sooner or later you’ll buy something here.”

Harui’s lived on the island for almost all of his 68 years, aside from a stint in the army and five years of forced internment during World War II. After his last nursery was paved over to make room for a Safeway, he reclaimed family land that once hosted a nursery run by his father. It’s quite off the beaten track, and well removed from the island’s commercial hub. Still, in a place that values community and hates chain stores, most residents would rather drive through the woods to pick up a pricier plant than travel 40 minutes to Silverdale and save some money.

And these gardens provide a depth and breadth missing in the box store; with higher quality control and a diversity of available plants. Harui instills the customer service ethic into his 32 employees, and the retail staff is eager to share their knowledge. And when was the last time that anyone at Costco remembered your dog’s name and inquired after her health?

If the business is still unique, Bainbridge Gardens’ staff feels the economic bite like everyone else. Harui says that about half his staff commute from “off island” as not all can afford the average $300,000 price tag for a local home. This, however, is a problem common to Bainbridge service businesses.

After 12 years, Bainbridge Gardens has built a reputation throughout the region for customers who favor quality over price. Says Harui, “Our knowledge is the key to our success.”.