After almost 60 years in the one family, Bells Garden Centre is under new ownership.
Warrnambool's Adam Main has purchased the long-running garden supplies business with wife Laura.
Mr Main has worked in turf and horticulture for 25 years and has ran his own gardening business for the past decade.
He worked as a greenskeeper at the Warrnambool Golf Club for 13 years and City Memorial Bowls Club for nine years prior.
"That's my industry and it's what I enjoy so when the business came up for sale I thought it was a good business to look at buying," Mr Main said.
"It's a well-established business and it's got a good reputation. Businesses like that don't come up for sale very often so we jumped at the opportunity."
Mr Main said it would be business as usual and they retained the name and its existing seven team members.
"Being local and from local families we've got close networks and connections within the community," Mrs Main said. "I think that holds us in good stead being able to deliver good customer service."
The business services farming, retail and commercial customers and Mr Main said it specialised in much more than "sand, soil and bark".
It sells landscaping products as well as power tools, generators and pumps.
It stocks spare parts and has a small on-site mechanics workshop for machinery and garden equipment repairs.
The Mains purchased the business from previous owners Carl and Karen Eggers. Karen's father Don Bell originally started the business in Verdon Street in 1964.
The Eggers opened a second store in Coghlans Road in 2010 running both sites until late-2017 when they closed the Verdon Street premises.
The Eggers said Mr Main was "a very good fit" and they were pleased the business had sold to a local family.
They thanked their customers and suppliers for their support and said they had developed some fantastic friendships and relationships.
"We're going to miss them because Carl and I both like a chat," Mrs Eggers said.
"We appreciate all the support we've had from the whole Warrnambool community.
"We service a big area from Portland through to Hamilton and Port Campbell so it's a huge area. I'm sure Adam will do very well and he'll be able to provide the service they're used to receiving."
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