Merrifield Garden Center has been a magnet for Northern Virginia gardeners since the store was founded by entrepreneurs and friends Bob Warhurst and Buddy Williams in the Merrifield area of Fairfax County in 1971. Since then, the company has expanded to two more stores in Northern Virginia: Fair Oaks in Fairfax and Gainesville in Prince William County.
The Merrifield stores are famous for their holiday displays, which attract thousands of excited shoppers looking for the perfect Christmas tree, wreaths, ornaments and other holiday accoutrements. There’s even a one-of-a-kind “Merrifield Bow” that appears on hundreds of wreaths, swags and garland throughout the area.
This year, another special Merrifield item was created, but this one was made to last longer than the holiday season.
BOB WARHURST, 76, wanted to share the story of his hard-knock life from his birth in rural Alabama during the Great Depression to his current position as co-owner of Merrifield Garden Center. To write and research his book, Bob turned to seasoned professional writers: Me, Sal Ruibal, and my wife Sharon. Sharon is director of communications at Merrifield Garden Center. We are both former USA TODAY reporters with many years of experience writing about interesting people and what makes them tick.
I was especially interested in Bob’s amazing personal story. The more I learned about this man, the more I wanted to know. He truly has a rags to riches story, so it made sense to title the book, “The American Dream: The Rags to Roses Story of Bob Warhurst and the Founding of Merrifield Garden Center.”
While Bob is at the center of the story, it is also a journey shared by the Williams family, co-owners of Merrifield. The bond between the two families was important to their collective success.
We wanted to give readers insight into Bob’s poor, but happy boyhood in Russellville, Ala., where he got his first job at the age of seven to help put food on the table. Bob quit school in the middle of the eighth grade and moved to Northern Virginia to make his way in life. The book reveals Bob’s many adventures in post-World War II Washington, D.C., where he found that the land of opportunity was always open to the brave and the hardworking.
Washington, D.C., and the neighboring states of Virginia and Maryland enjoyed unprecedented growth in those giddy years. Longtime residents will recognize names and places such as Shirley Highway, Hot Shoppes, Pizza Fair, The Southern Ramblers hot rod club and so much more in the book.
In late November, “The American Dream” became available online at merrifieldgardencenter.com and at the three Merrifield Garden Center stores. After just three weekends of book signings, more than 400 copies were sold.
“I can’t believe all these people want to read my book,” Bob says. “Many of these people I’ve never seen before.”
AN INTERESTING PATTERN began to unfold. People who had purchased the book returned to buy more books for family members, saying that Bob’s message of hard work, self reliance, perseverance and family values made it the ideal holiday present for their children, some of whom were struggling with finding their way in life. Some parents, with tears in their eyes, thanked Bob for giving them a way to express their own concern for their children’s future while also showing a path to success.
“First, get up early and work as hard as you can,” Bob says. “Stay late. Come home tired. Take a shower and feel refreshed. Eat and get ready to go again.”
It is a routine his own kids know well. When customers visit any of the three Merrifield Garden Center stores, they are bound to bump into a Warhurst. After 43 years, Bob and his wife Billie Jean still work and are joined by 22 family members, many in key positions in the business.
Copies of “The American Dream: The Rags to Roses Story of Bob Warhurst and the Founding of Merrifield Garden Center” are available online and at their three stores: Merrifield, Fair Oaks and Gainesville. Go to merrifieldgardencenter.com to view the book trailer.