The Blue Moose closed for summer season, plans to reopen next year

In less than two weeks, The Blue Moose owners Teri Chilefone and James Coleman are set to celebrate their second anniversary of purchasing The Blue Moose from long-time owners Bill and Marybeth Doucette. 

Unfortunately, this anniversary will look and feel slightly different than last year. 

Earlier this winter, Chilefone and Coleman made the difficult decision not to open the seasonal business during the 2024 summer season. 

“Making the decision to not open was not something James and I took lightly,” Chilefone said. 

The reason the colorful and inviting outdoor gardening shop will not open this season, Chilefone said, is due to contract changes with their primary grower. 

In Jan., the owners were notified that the terms of their contract with their primary grower, who supplies all of the flowers, plants, and shrubs, had significantly changed. Chilefone said the primary grower requested an advanced payment in Jan., when the advanced payment is typically due at the end of May. 

The request for the upfront payment four months in advance left the owners with a tough decision to make. Furthermore, Chilefone said the call “happened two days before we were leaving town for 3 weeks.”

“Since the majority of our business and income comes from selling flowers and plants, this situation left us in a lurch as new owners as we were not prepared with the time to contact new growers to fulfill orders,” Chilefone said. “Making this decision outside of our control.”

Despite the unfortunate situation that The Blue Moose will not open this summer season, Chilefone said The Blue Moose will remain a garden center, and they plan to open for a “shorter period next year for plant sales and gardening supplies.”

While the owners plan to reopen the garden center, the gift shop portion of the business is a different story. Chilefone said The Blue Moose is hosting an inventory close-out sale for the gift shop items on July 12-14. Chilefone and Coleman want to “sell the inventory of treasures and gifts we have, as we will not be carrying those items in the future.”

“There will be some great deals for folks!” she said. 

Kalli Hawkins June 5, 2024