‘People have no idea its here’ says the owner of Hove’s hidden garden centre

If you didn’t know there was a garden centre in Western Road, Hove, you weren’t alone.

“It’s a surprise to a lot of people,” says Rachel Davidson, owner of Hove Home and Garden.

“People who have lived here for 20 years still come by and say, ‘oh my gosh, I had no idea’.”

Ms Davidson says that people are always surprised to find out that her hardware shop has a compact garden centre out the back.

The hardware store has been going for around 50 years, but Ms Davidson and her family took the shop on in May 2024.

Hove Home & Garden at 97 Western Road (Image: Supplied)

It was a considerable change of direction for Ms Davidson, following 20 years in the world of public relations.

“I never thought I’d go from writing press releases to cutting keys,” she said. “But I live near the shop, and used to think it would be a fun project to take on.

“My time in PR came to its natural end. I wanted to do something completely different, but wasn’t sure what yet.

“I knew I didn’t want to work behind a desk anymore and I also knew I enjoyed running my own business.

“I’ve always loved gardening too. I learned a lot from gardening with my mum when I was kid. I’ve still got all her gardening books.

“She was a big influence in that respect, which is nice.”

There are loads of plants and supplies packed into the garden (Image: The Argus)

Despite being something of a local secret, Ms Davidson says the rear garden has become popular with a wide range of customers.

“Some are people who don’t know anything about plants, but others are professional gardeners,” she said.

“We’ve found there’s a big demand for garden supplies from people that live around here and have got small amounts of outdoor space.

“They want to have green, they want colour, they want pots, but they don’t necessarily want to drive to a garden centre.

“And now we’re in peak season, we can’t get plants in quickly enough.”

As the name suggests, the shop is loaded with both garden and homeware.

Rachel says running the shop has been ‘an adventure’ (Image: The Argus)

“It’s compost, it’s plants, it’s plastic pots, it’s terracotta pots,” Ms Davidson said. “We’ve got growing medias, feeds, weed killers – all sorts really.

“And people come for other things as well. We do knife sharpening, key cutting. We’ve got loads of DIY supplies and household goods.

“We do a bit of everything.”

Another benefit of the job for the businesswoman is getting to work with her three non-human colleagues – Lexi the black Labrador, a tuxedo cat called Bob, and a tortoise by the name of Jenny.

Lexie the Labrador is another popular presence at the shop (Image: Supplied)

Ms Davidson encouraged people to shop with local businesses when possible.

“Independent retailers bring so much to Brighton and Hove,” she said. “But it’s a constant struggle when you’re up against huge chains or online shopping.

“The more people continue to support local businesses, the better.”

Now approaching the two-year anniversary of taking the shop on, Ms Davidson said the time has flown by.

“It doesn’t feel like it’s been two years,” she said. “Every day has been completely different.

“You never really quite know what you’re taking on with something like this. It’s been hard work.

“But it’s been a great adventure. I’ve loved it.”

Rachel with her six-year-old tortoise Jenny (Image: The Argus)

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Going forward, Ms Davidson wants to continue growing the business – and spread the word of Hove’s hidden garden centre.

“You look at the shop from the street, and you wouldn’t expect it,” she said.

“I think that’s why a lot of residents don’t know it’s here.

“No matter what we say or what signs we put up, people still ask us if they can go in the garden.

“And we say ‘yes, please do!’”

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