The new owners of Owens Lawn & Garden Center say they not only want to operate their new business but also support the community which has supported it for the past 40 years.

Jeff and Judy Dellinger acquired Owens Lawn & Garden at the end of April from Bryan and Jenifer Pilkington. The aquisition of the store - which carries lawn and garden equipment and provides related services - was the culmination of a two-year effort by the Dellingers to diversify their business interests and leave a legacy for their 7-year-old son to one day inherit.

“My other business (J. Dellinger Trading Co., Inc.) is in textiles and we import manmade fibers into the United States and Canada from Portugal,” Jeff said. “The business is good but we wanted to diversify to be less dependant on textiles. So we decided to branch out and look for other opportunities.”

“Also, my other business is really a sales agency that’s dependant on my relationship with my customers,” he continued. “We wanted something, something made of bricks and mortar, we could leave to our son.”

This resulted in a two-year search in which the Dellingers considered a wide range options before finding Ownes Lawn & Garden.

“We saw this and it just kind of struck my curiosity,” Jeff said. “Union is a neat little town and the previous owners did a fantastic job. After looking for two years this seemed very comfortable.”

“We’d looked a lot and we didn’t have any reservations,” Judy added.

They didn’t have any reservations about buying the business and they don’t have any reservations about being part of the community. Even though they will continue to live in Lake Wylie, Jeff said he plans to be at the store every day, not only because he wants to build and expand the business but also to support the community which has in turn supported.

“This business is part of Union and Union has built this business,” Jeff said. “We want to continue that support and be part of it.”

Jeff added Union’s scenic beauty makes it a pleasure to commute every day.

While they’ve never owned a business like Owens before, Judy worked in her parent’s nursery business growing up. In addition, she said the acquisition kind of fits Jeff who she said keeps their family lawn in perfect condition.

“He’s a got a perfect lawn at home,” Judy said. “People are always complimenting us on his lawn.”

It’s that kind of dedication the Dellingers plan to bring to Owens in the years ahead. Jeff said he wants to maintain the high level of service the people of Union have come to expect from Owens while also growing the business and attracting customers from outside the county.

“We’re hoping to expand into other areas while maintaining our presence here in Union and making the store into a full service business,” Jeff said. “Owens has been here for 40 years and if they’re ways to expand it we want to find them.”

“One of my plans is to expand our customer base to outside the Union area while maintaining out local base,” he continued. “We want to attract more customers from both inside and outside the county.”

The week since they acquired Owens has been a time of learning for the couple they say has been made easier by the support they’ve received from the Pilkingtons. That support has confirmed for the Dellingers the wisdom of their decision to acquire Owens and become part of the Union community.

“We want everyone from our suppliers to our customers to know that we intend to continue to provide the same service and quality they’ve come to expect from Owens,” Jeff said. “We’re not going to change that.”

Owens Lawn & Garden Center employs two full-time and three part-time employees. The store is open 8 a.m-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m.-noon Saturday. For more information on the center and its products and services call (864) 427-7014.