The couple has deep roots with the Fort Smith business.

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FORT SMITH — Bill and Joe Neumeyer closed Neumeyer Nursery and Florist last month after 54 years in the flower business.

The nursery was started in 1968 in the home of husband and wife Bill and Joe Neumeyer. Soon, their three children and greenhouse outgrew the space. In 1976, they moved their home and business to the historic 3327 N. O St., built in 1904. They moved almost directly across the street from the house.

The five acres provided ample space to add a greenhouse and open a flower shop in the original carriage house.

Joe Neumeier remembers that Bill was against having a flower shop because he worked in one when he was in college. A friend of mine said she was interested in doing the flower room, but wouldn’t say so until Bill died or a refrigerator fell from the sky.

“So a refrigerator fell from the sky,” she said. “He actually did. Bill’s brother worked for a company that took storage buildings that people wouldn’t pay for and they’d say, ‘Empty that.’ Well, one of them had a refrigerator, a big, old refrigerator, and he drove up here and said, ‘I can’t take this to the dump. This is great. He said, ‘Do you all want it?’ So Bill called my friend and said a refrigerator fell out of the sky and came to work for us in two weeks.”

Newmeyers’ daughter Lisa Hearn said his friend was Clancy Armstrong, who later started Expressions Flowers on Garrison Avenue.

Joe Neumeyer said they didn’t even have a compressor for the refrigerator for a while.

“So Clancy would come to work every morning with a big icicle, and we’d put a fan in the freezer and blow it on the icicles to keep our flowers cool,” she says. “We did that every morning. And finally we had enough money to buy a compressor, so we put that on and went out and ran.”

Hearn recalled other unusual moments about living and working at the nursery, including making pots from the roof for customers to take home, because plastic pots weren’t made then. They became reusable early on.

“The kids learned to be humble, because we went to grade school at St. Boniface School and they got those cans from the lady,” Hearn said. “So she’ll throw out the green beans and the corn, and we’ll be there after school with those nasty cans in a black plastic bag, and I’ll be like, ‘Please don’t let anyone see us.’

Joe Neumeyer said the past few years at the nursery have seen a boom in business due to Covid-19 and people taking up hobbies. It is good to see the younger generation getting into planting too, she said.

“My daughter has a store in Shawnee, Okla. She’s actually a young man who runs that store. When I went to visit her, I was a little surprised because hers was so cluttered that I kept a lot of things. Like clay pots and plants, and that was it, and she was growing. Roots that we never thought of doing.” They were selling transplanted pieces. It’s just a new generation interested in plants, and it’s great,” she said. “It’s really great.”

Joe Neumeier and Hearn say running their family business has helped teach future generations of families how to grow their own businesses, and many enjoy planting as a hobby.

Neumeier said she was surprised by the public’s response to the nursery’s closing at the end of July.

“I got cards. One of them said they were buying a fourth generation here. That was very touching,” said Neumeier. “I guess that’s what surprised me, that people were so connected to the nursery, it meant so much to them. They hate to take it away. I think that’s the feeling of home.”

Hearn thinks people have developed personal relationships with daycares and staff because of the level of service compared to larger chains.

You can say, “I have shade in my backyard,” so that person is going to pick you up and you can say, ‘This is all he does in your backyard.’ And then they box it up and then they put it in your car and then they take you out there. And when that man came back, he said, ‘I need Tanya, because Tanya knows exactly what is in me. She knows a yard and what suits her.’ So that’s a service,” Hearn explained.

“If we could turn back the clock, we’d stay, because we love it. But we’re getting old, and you can’t do this forever,” Neumeier said. She added that they cannot sell the business as it is their home.

Joe is 79 and Bill is 82.

Joe Neumeier said they still garden for their personal enjoyment and will announce on Facebook when they plan to open the garden to the public for photography or simply to enjoy the garden. She said she loves the Audrey Hepburn quote, ‘Planting a tree is believing in tomorrow,’ and hopes the nursery leaves that impact in Fort Smith.

“It’s never too late to plant,” she said. “It’s the future for you and anyone else.”

Bill Neumeier, 83, walks through the greenhouse Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at Neumeier Nursery and Greenhouse in Fort Smith. After 54 years in business, Neumeyer and his wife, Jodi, announced they will retire and close up shop at the end of this month. The couple opened the business across the street at 3327 North O Street in 1968. Starting with just two greenhouses and a cold frame, they eventually expanded to 5.7 acres in 1976, added an additional greenhouse, and converted a carriage. A home for horses to a flower and gift shop. In addition to having their children run the business over the years, the Neumeyers employ 10 part-time and full-time employees, including one who has been in business for 34 years. In honor of their retirement, the Niemeiers are offering up to 75 percent off their products in the final weeks until the store closes. Visit nwaonline.com/220714Daily/ for today’s photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Leighton)

Bill Neumeyer, 83, walks his dog Toby Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at the Neumeyer Nursery and Greenhouse in Fort Smith. After 54 years in business, Neumeyer and his wife, Jodi, announced they will retire and close up shop at the end of this month. The couple opened the business across the street at 3327 North O Street in 1968. Starting with just two greenhouses and a cold frame, they eventually expanded to 5.7 acres in 1976, added an additional greenhouse, and converted a carriage. A home for horses to a flower and gift shop. In addition to having their children run the business over the years, the Neumeyers employ 10 part-time and full-time employees, including one who has been in business for 34 years. In honor of their retirement, the Niemeiers are offering up to 75 percent off their products in the final weeks until the store closes. Visit nwaonline.com/220714Daily/ for today’s photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Leighton)