America's Gardening Resource, Inc. (d/b/a Gardener's Supply Company) was a 100% ESOP-owned, multi-channel marketer and manufacturer of gardening products headquartered in Burlington, Vermont, with three retail locations and approximately 415 employees, producing roughly 150 proprietary products. Founded in 1983 by Will Raap with the ESOP established in 1987 (later reaching 2009 full employee ownership), the company reached peak revenue of $110.3 million in 2021 before declining 35% to $71.5 million in 2024. The company filed for Chapter 11 protection on June 20, 2025 in Delaware (Case No. 25-11180) facing the combined pressures of the revenue decline, ESOP payment obligations, a failed ERP/WMS system implementation, and broader challenges in the retail garden sector. At filing, the Debtors carried approximately $8.2 million in funded debt, including a $4.42 million Bank of America line of credit and $3.17 million in Northfield Savings Bank commercial real estate loans, against estimated GUC claims of $7.3 million. The Debtors operated under cash collateral orders without a DIP facility. Business assets were sold to Gardens Alive, Inc. for $9 million in August 2025, with an additional $600,000 sale to Peerless Clothing. The ESOP was terminated and a liquidating plan was confirmed on January 21, 2026.
