Discover the history of Roger’s Gardens in Newport Beach, California, and the magic behind its famous Christmas and Halloween boutiques.
In this episode of Duffy Chats, hosts Kym Whitney and Mandy Huntsman sit down with Nava Rezvan, Director of Marketing & PR at Roger’s Gardens, for a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at one of Southern California's most beloved destinations.
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Mandy: Today aboard Duffy Chats, we're sitting down with Nava Resan, Director of Marketing and PR at Roger's Gardens. We're so excited to have you here today. Thank you for joining us.
Nava: Thank you so much for having me.
Kim: Welcome aboard. So, let's just jump right in. Roger's Gardens is such a beloved part of our community. How did it make its way here? How did it start? Take us back in history to how it began.
Nava: Roger's Gardens began in 1975 when Mr. Herbert used to go to the location off Fairview Road in Costa Mesa, where Roger McKinnon had the original Roger's Gardens.
He was an avid gardener, and he used to shop there all the time. Mr. Herbert and Mr. McKinnon developed a nice relationship with each other, and then Mr. McKinnon wanted to sell his business, the nursery. Therefore, Mr. Herbert decided to purchase it as a side hobby for himself.
Then he had it relocated to the middle of nowhere in Corona del Mar, when there were no buildings, no Fashion Island, nothing going on. He located it in one of the most iconic locations in Newport Beach, on seven acres.
Mandy: And before, it was what, maybe an acre?
Nava: It was an acre. It was very small.
Kim: Yes.
Nava: And then this basically started the grand opening of a nursery and a home décor and lifestyle garden center that it is today.
Mandy: So was that evolution Gavin's vision?
Nava: It was Mr. Herbert's vision, who ran the company. Then, I want to say somewhere around 1980, Gavin Herbert Jr. purchased the company from his father and is now the president and CEO of the company.
Kim: Okay. So, if someone who's watching has never been to Roger's Gardens, they think this is just a place where you go look at some plants, like a traditional nursery. Let them know what they're really going to find.
Nava: Roger's Gardens is a luxury garden center. It is not just a nursery, but we also have beautiful home décor.
We have amazing original designs, which are one of our signature pieces, where we take different plants and orchids and plant them together. That actually started with us. No other nursery or garden center ever did something like that, so that became our signature piece.
And we actually were known for our hanging baskets when we first opened.
Mandy: The moss hanging baskets?
Nava: The moss hanging baskets, yes. Those were our main signature pieces. That was really what put Roger's Gardens on the map with the creativity and uniqueness of our products.
Then eventually it rolled into outdoor living, patio furniture, California fine art, women's accessories, children's accessories and toys.
Kim: And jewelry. I buy jewelry.
Nava: Yes! We have gourmet foods, and everything is based on traveling the world and buying products that are very unique to our local area.
Mandy: Roger's Gardens has become known for creating an experience versus just coming in to shop. Can you tell us about that evolution?
Nava: Yes, it definitely was intentional. We wanted to listen to our customers, and we wanted to make sure we were giving them a destination where they could connect emotionally.
We didn't want to just put products on the shelves and have them come and shop, which is what you could do at any retail store. We really wanted to make it an immersive, theatrical shopping experience for our customers and a place to connect with nature.
Kim: Nava, can you tell us what you think has allowed Roger's Gardens to be such a beloved destination for us here in this area?
Nava: Yes, absolutely. I think our guests know they can rely on us for expertise, gardening techniques, tips and skills so they can be successful in their gardens.
They know they can come here for inspiration on how to design their homes. That's what we're known for. They come to walk through our store to get inspiration about how you can put a plant with a pot and any other lifestyle or décor item and create a beautiful ambiance in your home.
Mandy: Amazing.
Kim: So, let's get into some of your fun experiences throughout the year. The Halloween Boutique is one of the biggest annual traditions. How long ago did that start? How did the idea come about? Give people an insider look into that experience.
Nava: Sure. It came about, I want to say, about 35 years ago.
Our creative director, who is no longer with us, Eric Cortina, was our creative director for over 30 years. He really created this beautiful visual sense of what Roger's Gardens is.
He came up with the idea to do a Halloween Boutique. At first, I don't think a lot of people understood. They were like, "What do you mean? How are we going to create this?"
He really wanted to make it an experiential, immersive retail experience.
It started to evolve every year and get bigger and bigger because everybody really wanted the Halloween Boutique.
But it wasn't anything gory or scary. It was about how to do it very elegantly and make it hauntingly beautiful.
Basically, what happens is we work with all of our teams. There's our operations team, our buyers, our visual merchandisers and our marketing team. Everyone comes together and collaborates to create this incredible experience.
Mandy: And each year is a different theme?
Nava: Every year is a different theme.
Every year, our buyers travel the world, look at trends and come up with ideas of what they think our theme should be.
In the meantime, our creative visual team and our marketing team are also looking at what's going on in the world and what our customers are gravitating toward.
Then we all come together with our ideas, put them out there and decide what we think our customers really want that year.
This year, we did Moonlight Masquerade, and it's been a huge success for us. I think our customers are really loving what we created.
Kim: So how far in advance do you have to plan? Is it the minute one Halloween Boutique goes down, the next one starts planning?
Nava: We're already planning for next year.
Everything happens a year in advance, and it really is a long process. There are so many intricate details that go into it.
Our buyers are constantly finding products that relate to our theme. They work with our collectible artisans to design products that are specifically handcrafted for our themed boutique.
Then our creative team starts working on what products and props they're going to have to create.
They usually start the whole process of building out the props around March or April.
As they're working, they're figuring out what the colors are going to be, what the lighting is going to be, what shelving units will be used in which locations.
There are so many details that go into it that I don't think our customers realize how much time and effort is involved.
Mandy: It's interesting because whenever I see the word "boutique," I'm thinking, gosh, it is, but it really isn't. I don't even know what it is. It's so hard to describe.
Nava: It really is. I always call it a theatrical, immersive experience.
Kim: It's almost like a movie set.
Nava: Exactly. You're buying products that are displayed theatrically, like a scene in a movie set. Then you're purchasing from that display and hoping to recreate it in your home.
Mandy: So, is this the same for my favorite, the Christmas Boutique? Is it the same where you're planning the minute one goes down?
Tell us how you take Halloween down and then it's Christmas. Tell us about that whole transition.
Nava: Currently, we're in Halloween mode, and Halloween will be open all the way to October 31st.
But we do release our props about a week before Halloween so that customers who purchase them can actually put those products in their homes for Halloween.
It starts to dwindle down as time goes on.
But we open Christmas in October, the first weekend of October, which is October 2nd this year.
What our team does is a big endeavor that we undertake.
Kim: We're lucky to have you here!
[Laughter]
Nava: Yes!
Everybody is involved, whatever component it is. It's all hands on deck.
The trick is that our visual merchandisers, who are really the ones putting everything together, not only need to maintain the Halloween room and make sure the products are fully stocked and looking their best for Halloween shoppers, but they're also creating the Christmas Boutique.
You're going from vampires and pumpkins to Santas, Christmas trees, ornaments and all sorts of amazing things for Christmas.
Mandy: Wow. It's fascinating. I didn't know there were so many steps throughout the year. I thought it was just a quick seasonal switch.
Nava: Halloween is done in two weeks, basically. They build it out in two weeks, and Christmas is done in three weeks.
Kim: Wow. That's incredible.
Mandy: So, over the years, how have the holiday seasons evolved? Did they start on a smaller scale and now just keep growing? Are you at a point where you can't really grow anymore? How do you keep it fresh?
Nava: I think our product selection is what keeps it fresh, and our new themes are what keep it fresh.
Our team is always trying to think of ways to make it more innovative, more fun and more immersive.
They did start out really small, and now we're taking up at least two of our garden rooms.
Our original designs, which are our signature pieces, include botanical pieces by Christopher Nichols, our designer.
He's created these amazing silk florals that have eyeballs, eyelashes and all sorts of intricate details. Some have fangs. We have a rose with fangs!
They're really cool pieces with lots of glitter that can permanently stay in your home all year long if you want, or you can bring them out every Halloween.
Those are our really special pieces that are handmade by our designers. You cannot find them anywhere else.
Kim: They're one of a kind.
Nava: Yes.
Mandy: That's fantastic.
So, with the holidays upon us, how do you get your inspiration for each one? I know there are many vignettes throughout the Christmas Boutique. Where does that inspiration come from? Is there a main lead person, or is it an entire team?
Nava: It's an entire team, as I've mentioned, across all of our departments.
But I would say it starts with our buyers.
Our buyers are the ones who know up front what the trends are going to be for next year and what the product selections are going to be.
They work with small, family-owned businesses that have been in business for a hundred years, and they custom-make our items for us.
Crystal Pfeiffer, who just got married, is our home décor buyer and our holiday buyer.
She travels to Germany and all over Europe and meets with these small family-owned companies we've worked with for many years. They've now become kind of our family, too.
They all custom-make pieces.
Again, we'll give them the theme we want to do, and she'll literally pick out exactly what glitter, what coloration, the look and feel she wants, and the expressions she wants on their faces.
She works with all those intricate details to bring it together.
It's a fun job, but it's a lot of work and very stressful, too, because you're constantly managing inventory and making sure the products are going to get here in time from Europe.
But she does a fantastic job.
Kim: About how many people would you say come through the boutiques, both Halloween and Christmas, per year?
Nava: I would say at least a million people come through from all over.
For our openings, we have VIP openings for both events, and people are literally in line at eight in the morning. We don't even open until nine.
There are lines out the door because they want to be the first to experience it. They want to be the first to shop it and buy the prop pieces and collectible, one-of-a-kind pieces that aren't available in multiples.
They're excited and enthusiastic about what we do. They want to come see what we've created.
They're so supportive of us and always giving us feedback so we know what we can do to make it better for them next year.
Mandy: So how does someone become a VIP?
Nava: By shopping!
[Laughter]
Shop with us, and you'll be on our VIP list.
Kim: So, okay, we're going to turn corners a little bit.
Mandy: I was going to say, really quick, for someone who's never been to the Christmas experience, what can they expect walking through the doors? Maybe someone watching doesn't know.
Nava: Yes. One of my favorite things during our openings is to stand by the door and see everyone's reactions and expressions.
It's truly one of the most fun things to hear when people come in and say, "Oh my God, I've never seen anything like this before. This is amazing. This is incredible. This is a store? You're supposed to shop?"
It's almost like Disneyland. A lot of our customers say it's Disneyland for adults.
Kim: Exactly.
Nava: You walk in, and you're able to shop and be inspired by the displays we create so you can recreate them in your own home.
You see how we decorate our Christmas trees, the ornaments, the color schemes, and you can figure out what color scheme you want to do.
Every year, you can change your color scheme.
We have every detail you need, whether it's entertaining, décor or gifting. We have everything. It's a one-stop shop.
Mandy: I love to get a cup of coffee and go walk at night when it's all lit up. It's one of my favorites.
Nava: We do have coffee there.
But it is truly magical, especially when November comes and we get our fresh-cut Christmas trees from the Pacific Northwest.
It just transforms into this magical holiday experience that you can't find anywhere else in Southern California, or I would say even in the nation.
Kim: I don't think I've ever heard of anywhere else like it. It's a very happy place, which is probably such a great place to work for you.
Nava: It is.
Mandy: Okay, now we'll turn the corner.
[Laughter]
Kim: Sorry, I just love it. We had a detour. Now we're turning.
Mandy: Okay, Farmhouse Restaurant. I believe it opened in 2016. Tell us about that decision and walk people through it.
That's almost like an experience in itself as well—the fact that you can dine there, have events there and walk the gardens.
Nava: Gavin Herbert and his wife, Carrie Herbert, decided they wanted to close the circle on the lifestyle journey and the experience at Roger's Gardens.
They decided they wanted to open a restaurant on the property, and that was also a way to acquire a new customer base for us.
They partnered with Chef Rich Mead, who I say all the time is the godfather of farm-to-table.
He had his own restaurants in the past and was looking for a new location.
It worked out perfectly for us because it was the perfect synergy of selling vegetables and fresh produce—we actually sell fresh produce as well—and being able to work with a chef who works with local purveyors, fishermen and meat purveyors.
He goes every Wednesday to the Santa Monica Farmers Market and purchases seasonal ingredients.
That's what his recipes and menu are all about: what's in season.
It's all fresh, it's all farm-to-table, and it's been a wonderful addition to our garden center.
Kim: Do you offer special dining experiences? I'm drawing a blank on this. Maybe something seasonal or a holiday tasting menu that's ticketed or pre-reserved?
Nava: We just had our 10-year anniversary with Farmhouse. We're actually celebrating right now.
We did an event to celebrate that on August 24th, and we have another event this Thursday.
This one is about our community celebration. It's celebrating all the purveyors Rich has partnered with who have helped bring him to the place we are now and contributed to our success.
Mandy: That's nice.
Nava: It's a ticketed event for the public, and it's sold out.
[Laughter]
They sell out very quickly, but I anticipate we might be doing more.
We're also doing private events now with Rich, and we have a private event space in the garden.
It's absolutely beautiful and such a chic, romantic garden experience.
Kim: Is that next to Farmhouse?
Nava: It's located next to Farmhouse, up in the upper area.
Kim: Is there a greenhouse?
Nava: There's no greenhouse. We just have plants in that area.
It's on your way to Farmhouse, at the very top, so you're overlooking the whole area.
Mandy: It's a private space?
Nava: It's a private space. We close it off for our private events.
Kim: Is it covered?
Nava: No, it's open-air. You can tent it if you want to, but the whole premise is to be in the gardens, connect with nature and have that beautiful setting.
Mandy: About how many people?
Nava: I'd say about 150 or so.
Kim: And you've already started booking events?
Nava: Yes. We have a lot of our dates already booked.
Everything's online, and you can fill out the forms there. Then Gavin Spencer Herbert will return your call regarding that.
Mandy: Fantastic. Will you guys ever do a holiday tea or anything like that?
Nava: We do have a big event with Susan G. Komen.
It's been my little baby project that I put together, and it's been very successful.
This is our third year, our third Christmas doing it. We do one every spring and every Christmas.
The Christmas one is even more magical because you're in that Christmas setting, and it gets you into the Christmas spirit and ready to shop and get your décor.
All our proceeds go straight back to Susan G. Komen for breast cancer research.
Our next event is on November 12th.
Kim: Oh, okay.
Nava: Tickets go on sale September 30th.
Mandy: And they'll be sold out on September 30th!
Nava: They really will.
Kim: Is that a tea? What can people expect at one of these events?
Nava: Farmhouse provides small bites and appetizers. We serve wine to all our guests, and then there are opportunity prizes you can participate in. All the proceeds from those also go to Susan G. Komen.
You basically wander through and shop. It's a shop for a cause.
Mandy: And you have vendors?
Nava: Yes, we have different vendors and activations throughout the area that you can engage with.
We have vendors who make custom pieces, Roger's Gardens-branded products you can try, and tastings.
We have a lot of our skincare line owners who come in.
Kim: I got hooked on some skincare from there last time.
Nava: Yes! We'll have some really fun ones for Christmas this year.
Mandy: Can other charity organizations reach out about hosting their events?
Nava: Yes, they can have private events.
We try not to do too many charity events ourselves because we don't want to saturate them. We want to make these really special, one-off events.
But they're more than welcome to do private events, and we're always open to new ideas.
Kim: Weddings or anything?
Nava: Yes, we're going to have our first wedding.
Mandy: Do you close down the whole place?
Nava: I think it'll be an evening wedding.
We can't shut down the whole store for our customers, but it'll definitely be an evening event.
Kim: Wow, the first one. How fun to see photos from that.
Mandy: I can't believe it's the first one.
Nava: I know.
Kim: Have people reached out in the past, and it just wasn't the time? You weren't there yet?
Nava: No, it wasn't the time. Now we have the process, and we're able to do it.
Mandy: Now the floodgates are open. How romantic!
Mandy: Something that I wanted to ask you about—tell us about the Disneyland gazebo.
Kim: Yes. Can you give us a little history about that, where it was originally located and where it is now?
Nava: Yes. So, it was located in the bandstand area of Disneyland.
In 1976, Mr. Herbert had a relationship with Disney, and they were getting rid of the gazebo. He purchased it and brought it over to Roger's Gardens.
Now it is one of our statement pieces in the Farmhouse Restaurant.
We've given it a little fresh look so that it goes with the look and feel of our restaurant, but it's still the original bandstand gazebo.
Mandy: That is very cool. Is there anything else like that, something with history that we don't know about?
Nava: The gazebo outside is actually a replica. We wanted to replicate it because it's part of our logo and one of our signature pieces. But the original one is inside.
Kim: So, aside from the Halloween Boutique and the Christmas Boutique, what are you most proud of?
Nava: I think it's the people I work with—our staff and employees.
We have such an incredible team of people that I have the luxury and pleasure of working with every day.
We have about 75 employees, and then during Christmas, we'll go up to about 125. We have seasonal employees who come in.
Our team is so passionate. They really love to engage with our customers, give them expert advice and help them succeed in their gardening adventures.
We know gardening can be a little intimidating at times, and it's such a rewarding feeling to be able to grow and nurture your own plants, fresh fruits and vegetables that you're putting on your table, knowing they don't have pesticides or chemicals on them.
I have the luxury of working with all these people who bring their passion, expertise and creativity.
We all love to watch our customers engage with what we create and how they shop. We want to make sure we're always bringing customers what they want.
I think that's my favorite part of it.
Mandy: I hope you get to tell everyone about all the things!
[Laughter]
What about how Roger's Gardens connects with the community outside of Roger's Gardens? Are there collaborations or different initiatives you support? Can you tell us about that?
Nava: Absolutely. We're very charitable. That's part of our core values, to give back to the community.
We sponsor the Corona del Mar Home Tour and the Newport Harbor Home Tour.
Then we have Susan G. Komen, as I mentioned earlier.
Gavin and Carrie, who are the owners, are very much involved on the boards for the Crystal Cove Alliance, conservation organizations and Mission San Juan Capistrano.
They're very involved in giving back to those organizations.
And then we have Ron Vanderhoff, who's our general manager and head of our nursery. He's been with us for many, many years.
I call him the professor because he's a plant nerd!
He really is. He has the biggest heart and passion for plants and connecting people with nature.
He came up with two programs for us.
One is our Hummingbird Summer program, where customers can round up their purchases when they buy hummingbird plants, and we donate all of that to the Audubon Society.
Then he brought another amazing initiative to us about eight, maybe ten years ago, involving native milkweed for monarch butterflies.
Monarch butterfly populations were declining, and there was a problem with tropical milkweed. There was a parasite affecting the butterflies and their larvae.
Ron is part of an organization involved in conserving butterflies, and he counts monarch butterflies.
He's an incredible man, and we're so lucky to have him. He does so much work for the conservation of plants, birds, animals, insects and all sorts of things.
He basically had us get rid of all our tropical milkweed and only sell native milkweed.
Now we're seeing populations increase a bit by not selling those tropical varieties.
Kim: Those are some of the things people might not know are happening behind the scenes. Sustainability is a big focus in all of that, right?
Nava: Correct. Absolutely.
Mandy: Roger's Gardens is definitely one of the community's favorite places to visit, and even beyond our general community.
One other quick question. Outside of the Christmas Boutique and Halloween Boutique, I know you have different activations throughout the year, like Tomatomania.
Nava: Yes.
Mandy: Can you tell us a little more about some of the other activations or series you have going on that the community might not know about?
Nava: Sure.
We're a seasonal store, so we're constantly doing different programs throughout the year.
We start with Valentine's Day, and then we have Tomatomania.
People are always asking, "What is Tomatomania?"
And it really is a mania!
We have about 300 different varieties of tomato plants that you can shop. You can get just about any tomato you want.
It's such a great way to get your children involved in gardening because you can take a tomato plant, plant it and teach them how to nurture something by watering it, fertilizing it and pruning it when needed.
Then you get to enjoy the rewards of the harvest in the summer, around August.
It's a great way to teach children how to garden.
Kim: Is it an easy plant to start with?
Nava: Absolutely. I started with that.
[Laughter]
I grow tomatoes every year. I grow nine varieties every year, and it's such a joy for me.
I'm not even a big tomato lover, and I still love it!
I love seeing them grow and seeing big red tomatoes, and being able to share my harvest with all my neighbors and friends.
It's just a lovely thing.
Aside from Tomatomania, we have the Herb Festival.
Mandy: What's the Herb Festival?
Nava: The Herb Festival is another event where we have over 200 varieties of herbs—basically any herb you can think of.
We have samples you can try so you can get an idea of what kind of herbs you want.
You can ask our experts how to grow them and how to use them in your culinary adventures at home.
It's a really fun event.
Kim: I bought one! You made those beautiful pots with all the different herbs, and the pot itself was beautiful.
It was all done, and I just took it home and had to keep them alive.
Believe it or not, I was gone for two weeks when the heat was going crazy, and I was thinking, "Somebody's got to water this thing!"
But it's doing great.
I thought it was a really easy way to have herbs.
Nava: Exactly. You can have them at your fingertips when you're cooking. You just grab a couple of herbs.
Kim: It has like six things in it, I think.
Nava: Yes.
Then we have our wonderful gardens, and we do a Rose Festival.
We have over 300 varieties of roses. It is spectacular.
You're walking through a sea of blooming roses. The fragrance—your senses come alive when you're at a rose event.
You can shop all our roses at that time.
The fun part about roses, I think, is actually the names. It's so interesting to see what they've named them because they have such interesting names.
But the Disneyland Rose is the most coveted and most popular rose that we have.
Mandy: Is it actually called that?
Nava: Yes, it's called the Disneyland Rose, and it's actually the rose from Disneyland.
Our buyer Crystal—her aunt Karen was the one who discovered the Disneyland Rose.
We have a video on our YouTube channel that you can watch to learn the history behind it.
Kim: That's fascinating.
Nava: Yes.
Then after that, we have Hummingbird Summer, and then it's Halloween and Christmas, basically.
But Spring Celebration is probably my favorite.
I just love when it's Spring Celebration. There's something magical that happens throughout the store.
There are flowers, everything is blooming and coming alive, birds are everywhere, and butterflies are flying around.
It's just a calming experience.
I think that's what everyone says they love about coming here. It gets you away from all the craziness of the world, and you come back to your roots and to nature.
Mandy: The holidays can be a little crazy for people, with overstimulation and everything. Then you get through that, and spring is like a renewal.
There's definitely no shortage of things going on. It's hard to imagine you coming up with something else to add to the calendar, but I'm sure you will.
Nava: We definitely will!
What we try to do is make sure that every time our guests come to Roger's Gardens, it's a new experience.
They're finding new products, new inspiration, whatever it may be.
We want you to come multiple times so that you can discover new things.
Kim: Wonderful.
Mandy: She has her favorite question.
Kim: My favorite closing question is, if you have a Duffy boat, or if you were to acquire one, what would you name it and why?
Nava: Easy. Your Happy Place.
Mandy: Your home!
Nava: Yes!
Roger's Gardens—one of the things our customers say all the time is, "This is my happy place."
During COVID, that was one of the things I really wanted to emphasize from a marketing standpoint. I wanted to make sure people knew we were open because we were considered essential.
And it really is everyone's happy place.
Like I said, it's like Disneyland for adults.
I think it's coming here and knowing you're going to have warm customer service and find products that you won't find anywhere else.
They're unique, one of a kind.
You're able to immerse yourself in a world that really completes your lifestyle, whether you need a plant for a friend, want to have lunch with your friends at Farmhouse, or just want a magical shopping experience.
Mandy: I was going to say, sometimes it's just an escape.
You may go in there not even knowing what you need or want, and the world just kind of goes away.
You're in this place, kind of like Sherman Library & Gardens. It's the same sort of vibe, I would say.
Nava: Absolutely.
Kim: Well, thank you for joining us, Nava. I know you're heading into the busy season, so we appreciate you taking the time and sharing all things Roger's Gardens with our viewers.
Nava: Thank you for having me. We're so happy.
We can't wait to welcome you to our Christmas Boutique!
[Laughter]
Mandy: Thank you.
Kim: Thank you.