Bob and Kitty Boyd will be moving on after 40 years owning and running Boothbay Harbor Greenhouses. After closing the business on Oct. 29, the Boyds said they expect about six months of paperwork which they plan to work on when not enjoying themselves this winter on Islamorada in the Florida Keys.

The business will be closing after its 93rd consecutive year which five owners including the Boyds have seen through.

“We should have made it to 100,” said Kitty.

“Yeah, if we live that long,” Bob said laughing. “If we want any retirement at all at our age, we need to get on with the next chapter of our lives.”

The Boyds knew at the start of this season that the time was right to finally take retirement on. Bob said at their age when you start losing friends it puts the work-home life balance into perspective and you want to spend more time doing other things and connecting more with people, especially with the kids and grandchildren.

Reflecting on their deep connections to the community and the impact it and the business have had on their family, the Boyds struggled to keep memories of the Greenhouses and of personal events separate because both were so intertwined for so many years.

“We've always tried being active in the community and I think maybe our best lessons about how to give back to the community and being involved is from … Jane and Ervin Conley who instilled in us the importance of getting involved. When the community's good to you, you want to give back to it.”

Kitty served as president of Boothbay Region YMCA for 12 years and has been involved in other things here and there over the years; Bob said his volunteer hours have mostly been with Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens which he helped found over 24 years ago. He also served as president of Maine State Florists and Growers Association and chaired Fryeburg Fair’s flower shows.

From carrying out jobs and duties at the Greenhouses with children strapped to their backs, to chairing boards and events in and out of the industry, here on the peninsula and about as far inland in Maine as one can get, that was the name of the game for decades. They said they were lucky to have family who could help with the kids and the kind of business environment that allowed them to roam around.

“We moved in through the back door and the Ornes moved out through the front door and then we were open seven days a week,” said Kitty. “It was Easter week.”

Then it was go, go, go, she said. When their son Dylan was born – on Feb. 5, also Kitty's birthday – Kitty said it was the extremely busy week ahead of Valentine's Day. With home being smack dab in the middle of the job site, any sort of maternity leave was off the table. “When you have a small business, you've got to just do it.”

From growing inside at the beginning and tail ends of the cold season, to the nonstop, seven days a week hustle of spring, summer and fall, people would continue to come in to the store and comment on the greenery the Boyds would always have going on. The customers, regulars and new faces, are those whom they will miss most of all.

“Valentines Day is fun,” said Bob. “The guys all roll in in their pickup trucks and they're not going to go home unless they have a flower in their hand. I like spring also, though, because it's the rebirth of another season. I think everybody probably feels that way with things coming back to life outside again. But fortunately we've always had the opportunity inside the greenhouses to enjoy the warmth on warmer days and start growing things.”

The Boyds said they have been trying for two years to sell the business, but are still hopeful someone comes in to take over before the next season starts. Except for sourcing materials, Bob said just about everything will be ready to be brought back out or turned back on for the next season. Most employees have already found other jobs, but some have stayed on to help the business close and in hopes a future owner may come along and keep them on. Should that happen, the Boyds will also be around to help get the new owners started; they will be staying in the area because Boothbay Harbor is still home for them, said Bob.

“We'd love to see a florist stay in the downtown and the garden center stay here,” Bob said. “But what's going to happen? There's been quite a few people looking, interested in the business, but nobody's stepped up to the plate. It requires work.”

“Hard work,” said Kitty.

“If you're going to run it yourself, you'll need to have energy – being young is a good thing – and be willing to work seven days a week during the high season. It's tough. It's not your average retail business.”