Mary and Chris Leslie have now officially stepped away from Busy Bee Garden Centre after some 38 years, bringing their time at the helm of the much-loved Isle of Wight business to a close.
The founders, who started Busy Bee back in 1987 with just a greenhouse and a polytunnel, have shared a personal farewell on social media as they mark their retirement from the garden centre that they built from the ground up.
Last month Island Echo revealed that Busy Bee had been sold to national retailer Blue Diamond, which now takes over the running of the business.
Reflecting on their journey, Mary and Chris have thanked customers and staff for their support over the decades, recalling how the centre has grown into a destination for both Islanders and mainland visitors. They also looked back fondly on their popular Christmas displays, which became a key annual feature at the centre.
Mary and Chris have said:
“After some 38 years at Busy Bee, we have finally decided to hang up our gardening gloves, and retire from the business.
“As some of you may remember, Busy Bee started in 1987, with just a greenhouse and a polytunnel, where we used to grow our own plants. Every year since then, we have grown the business and the team into the destination that it has now become, visited by islanders and visitors from the mainland. In particular, we have always enjoyed setting up our Christmas displays which we have tried to make more magical each year!
Article continues below this advertisement “We have very much welcomed your custom over the years, and the friendly faces that have regularly visited our centre. We will miss you all.
“We have wanted to ensure that Busy Bee remains as a garden centre, as we view our staff as our wider family. We are excited that Busy Bee will now join the Blue Diamond group, which has a fantastic collection of garden centres across the country. They have exciting plans for Busy Bee, which we look forward to being implemented over the coming months and years.
“To all of our staff (current and past) and of course to our customers we would like to say a very big THANK YOU – it’s been an incredible journey, one which we are immensely proud of.”
Mary and Chris will attend tonight’s (Thursday’s) members’ preview event for Christmas World to support Blue Diamond with the transition and to say farewell to customers.
Enjoy your well earned retirement Mary and Chris
Busy Bee won’t be the same again without you.
You built an empire from nothing, Christmas world
is our favourite time of the year, the grandchildren love
it and so do grandparents alike.
Let’s hope it remains the same.