Just like it was more than 100 years ago, Steinert's Greenhouse & Gardens is still a family-owned and operated business, although it was recently listed for sale.
Clarence Steinert started working for his uncle after returning from World War I. Since William and his wife didn't have any children, the land was eventually passed on to Clarence.
He gardened the 25 acres of vegetables next to the James River until he was 86 years old.
Her son, Troy Steinert, took over growing the vegetables next to the river from his grandfather until the years of constant flooding made selling the produce too difficult.
It seemed meant to be, and her father-in-law encouraged them every step of the way.
“We suddenly discovered that people liked flowers much better than vegetables.” Theta Steinert said. “It wasn’t long before our flower market was much more than the tomatoes and cabbage and broccoli and cauliflower and all that stuff that we grew.”
Today, they bring in produce from local farms and concentrate on growing flowers.
