Meet our Underwriters: The Garden Spout

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The Garden Spout carries all kinds of indoor gardening products, hydroponic equipment, and more
Just south of SE Foster Road, on 63rd, is where you can find The Garden Spout, an indoor gardening supply shop that has been an extremely supportive underwriter for about ten years, underwriting Grateful Dead & Friends, the Wednesday Radiozine, World Beat Connection/Shocks of Sheba, and Democracy Now! The Garden Spout carries all kinds of indoor gardening products, hydroponic equipment, accessories, nutrients, and more, and works with people of any level of experience, from hobby growers to subsistence farmers. Recently I had a chance to catch up with owner Hank Carver, aka Hanxta.

JM: You began in California. How long ago?
 
HC: Actually, I’m an East Coast transplant.  A Grateful Dead tour led me to college in California; I was there from 1991 to 1998.
 
JM: You were something of an early Oregon adopter (“before the flood”); what led you to Portland?
 
HC: I fell in love with Oregon the first time I ever set foot in this state, in June of 1990. It didn’t hurt that my first experience in the state was waking up to a view of Crater Lake. I knew right away that it would be my home one day. When I graduated from college, I immediately loaded up the car and bee lined for the Portland area, in January of 1998.
 
JM: Is it different doing business in Oregon vs California?
 
HC: I never did business in California, but I know from having Californian partners that we have a slightly easier time of things up here. For one thing, the lack of sales tax makes a retailer’s life much easier.
 
JM: What have the legal changes meant for your business?
 
HC: Since the laws regarding cannabis have changed, we have seen a large uptick in business, particularly among hobbyists and recreational gardeners who are taking a stab at cannabis gardening.
 
JM: What led you to consider becoming a KBOO underwriter?
 
HC: I’m a big believer in community and community radio in particular, so it was a no-brainer. It cuts two ways; not only do I show my support for the community, but my business benefits by being exposed to like-minded folks. I think of it as a win-win situation.
 
JM: Has it made a difference to your business?
 
HC: KBOO underwriting absolutely makes a difference! As I indicated previously, it has been a boon to reach potential customers that are also supportive of community. Portlanders vibrantly embrace the concept of local and mom-and-pop; KBOO embodies these things to a tee. Therefore, my business gets a boost merely by association.
 
JM: What else should we know about the Garden Spout?
 
HC: We are a mom-and-pop business. All of my employees have been with me for over five years, so we have a family-like atmosphere. I try to run a progressive company, offering a living wage to my employees as well as generous vacation time and health insurance. We are unparalleled in customer service. So we are the kind of business that people can be proud to support.
 
The Garden Spout
4532 SE 63rd Ave
Portland, OR  97206
(503) 788-GROW

www.gardenspoutportland.com

Thank you to all our underwriters.  Become an underwriter or see a complete list of our business partners by following the links below: