Throughout Walker County Kim Stewart is known as the “plant lady.”

It’s a nickname she gained not through her personal garden or her passion for a certain flower, but through years of hard work building a business from the ground up.

In the past 25 years Stewart has transformed her business, Stewart’s Garden Center, from a small shop on state Highway 19 to a 6,000 square foot location just off the interstate, complete with more than an acre of plant life for her customers to choose from.

For Stewart, the long road to a successful business did not begin with plants. A native of South Texas, she attended Sam Houston State University, where she graduated in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Stewart immediately put her degree to use, working as a clinical social worker for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

The idea to start a business came from her husband, who was preparing to buy out a local nursery and run it as his own.

Stewart joined him in his efforts, bringing her family background in retail to the effort.

“I already knew retail well,” she said. “My whole family has owned businesses back to my great-great-grandfather.”

In 1985 the Stewarts bought out Huntsville Gardens on state Highway 19. It became the first incarnation of Stewart’s Garden Center.

“It was small,” Stewart said. “But having been fresh out of college it never occurred to me that the business wouldn’t be successful.”

In the nearly quarter century since the business started, Stewart’s Garden Center has grown dramatically, something Stewart herself attributes to little more than customer demand.

“In the retail center we started with just a small gift shop, and because of customer demand we grew and grew, and now we’ve got 6,000 square feet and an acre and a half outside,” Stewart said.

The garden center also now employs a staff of nearly 30 employees including certified nurserymen, landscapers, and designers who utilize and innovative computer graphics system to lay out new landscaping for businesses, homes and more.

Looking back on the growth of her business, and 25 years of hard work, Stewart attributes much of her success to one thing: perseverance.

“You do whatever it takes,” Stewart said. “When you go into business you have to be extremely flexible and you have to be willing to adapt. I would say perseverance and flexibility are the most important things.”

For more information on Stewart’s Garden Center, visit www.stewartsgardencenter.com.