Landmark Chester County Family Business is Closing

Waterloo Gardens, the landmark Chester County family-owned home and garden retailer, is going out of business for good.

The company announced it will start selling off all of its in-store inventory Thursday with a Fourth of July sale. The decision comes a little more than one year after the company filed for bankruptcy protection. Waterloo closed its original store location in Devon at the end of June, 2012.  A buyer for that property was just announced late last month.

“We want to thank our customers and our wonderful employees for supporting our business over the past 70 years. We have such a connection to this community and are very saddened to have to close,” said Waterloo Gardens President Bobby LeBoutillier. “We hope customers take advantage of the sale event, which will feature extraordinary savings on all our products.” 

Waterloo Gardens says it  "will honor gift cards and merchandise credits throughout the sale event. All sales made on or after July 4, 2013 will be final. Returns on purchases made prior to July 4, 2013 will be accepted in compliance with the return policy in effect on the date of purchase."

Waterloo Had to Close Locations after Two Expansion Efforts in Sagging Economy 

In an interview with Patch after the Devon store closed last year, LeBoutillier said the sagging home construction business is what really hurt Waterloo Gardens.

During that July, 2012 interview, LeBoutillier told Patch that the flagship Exton location on Whitford Road was not big enough to cover the operating losses from a closed store in Warminster and a smaller garden furniture store that Waterloo closed in Wilmington, Delaware.

LeBoutillier told Patch the company was still trying to sell its former store location in Warminster, which has been sitting empty for several years now. LeBoutillier said he is forced to close the Devon store for the same reason.

The sale at the Exton Store begins Thursday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. The store at 200 North Whitford Road in Exton is open seven days a week.