Annie’s Annuals suddenly closes

Annie’s Annuals and Perennials in North Richmond has permanently closed its doors — giving little notice to employees and none to customers save for a sign at the store. The shutdown, attributed to health and business-related reasons, leaves East Bay gardeners with only living memories growing in their yards.

Social media channels were buzzing Thursday afternoon as word spread that the store, located at 740 Market Ave., was closing. The gates to the popular sprawling garden center were locked by 3 p.m., with an employee confirming that it had been permanently closed at 2 p.m.

A sign at the blooming 3-acre outdoor oasis at 801 Chesley Ave., simply said:  

“Annie’s is closed. After many wonderful years, it is with heavy hearts that we announce Annie’s has closed its doors. Thank you to everyone who has made Annie’s such a special place — your unwavering support has meant everything to us.”

In a statement and FAQ posted on Annie’s website, a note signed by owner Sarah Hundley said:

“I feel it’s important to share that my health has played a significant role in reaching this point. Over the past few months, I have faced serious and unexpected health challenges. Throughout this difficult time, I’ve worked tirelessly to explore every possible way to keep the nursery going. Sadly, despite my best efforts, the challenges— both personal and business-related — escalated much faster than I ever anticipated, and I could no longer maintain business operations.”

Michelle Guest of Richmond, co-owner of The Factory Bar, which built its lush popular backyard patio garden from Annie’s plants, said she felt shocked and nearly sick, about it.

“I had to come down. I didn’t want to believe it,” Guest said, saying she loved buying Salvia chiapensis and poppies of all sorts there. “I’ve bought so many perennials I don’t have any space for perennials.”

She said it was a happy space, a beacon in Richmond and maybe the most inspiring place in town.

“It was a place to see green things and growing things in an otherwise industrial town,” Guest said.

An employee on her way out who stopped to briefly speak to Guest told her she hoped Guest has good memories of Annie’s and hugged her, adding that it is important for Annie’s fans to keep shopping at local nurseries.

Other customers took to social media to express their reactions.

Virginia Harrison of El Cerrito said employees only learned about the closure Wednesday, collecting their final paychecks Thursday. Another customer close to the business confirmed this.

She was worried about the resident cats there but said she heard an employee was going to adopt one of them.

“I’m stunned! How did this happen? I was just there recently attending a lecture on Edible Flowers. This is just sad and such a loss [to] many. I thought they were doing well,” read an EL Cerrito Nextdoor post. 

“This is absolutely devastating! Annie’s was always my top recommendation and go-to place when I’ve been in planting mode. What a tragedy…..,” a Berkeley poster wrote.

Kathy Kramer of San Pablo, a customer of more than 20 years, said she was familiar with Annie’s through her work with Bringing Back the Native Gardens, something Annie’s was particularly known for. She heard it was closing Thursday through her garden club and wanted to come for one last visit.

“Annie’s has been an institution here for a long time,” Kramer told Richmondside. “I am surprised and sorry to hear that they’re closing. I don’t know that there was any other place like it.”

Annie Hayes founded the nursery as a hobby in the 1980s

Started by Annie Hayes in the 1980s, almost as a backyard hobby, the retail and wholesale nursery really took off when it moved to Richmond in 2001.

The colorful space with resident cats and rows and rows of plants for pretty much every need, from rock garden to greenhouse, and every climate, from lush to dry, was known by most simply as Annie’s.

It drew professional landscapers and backyard tinkerers from around the state. The website lists 29 retail nurseries carrying Annie’s plants, from as far as Arcata to Corona del Mar and from Stockton to Aptos.

Hayes, who had worked at Berkeley Horticultural Nursery, quickly developed a reputation for producing — and nurturing — a vast and eclectic array of plants and flowers, including many natives. She also cared deeply for garden and nursery design and signage. 

In 2021, mid-pandemic, Hayes retired, selling her business to Hundley, an investor and business consultant. Hundley is listed on Linkedin as the CEO of Rebel Maven, Inc., a business consulting firm. Neither she nor Rebel have responded to inquiries from Richmondside.

Hundley’s online statement did say, “Discussions with potential buyers are progressing with the hope that Annie’s brand and offerings endure.”

Justin Georganas, an employee of Westbrae Nursery in Berkeley, an employee-owned cooperative on Gilman Street, said the store began getting conflicting emails about orders from Annie’s starting last week. 

This week, he said, a “boilerplate” email arrived from Hundley saying she needed to close.

“It’s such a unique imprint, it really is a special space,” Georganas said, adding that all of Westbrae’s workers were jolted by the news. “There’s no one else close to that niche. I don’t know if anyone will be able to live up to that, but I hope that it will continue in some form.” 

Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, who represents unincorporated North Richmond, said he hadn’t heard any details beyond what he’s reading on social media. 

 “It’s very sad to lose this beloved local business that has served our community for so many years,” Gioia told Richmondside. “I know individuals who came from far away to buy plants there. They were well-known even outside of our county.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.