"This new passion is contained in The Garden Vault, which is located just a few blocks off Main Street in downtown Lexington, KY."
The Garden Vault has slowly evolved from Rett McGoodwin's 30-year-old landscaping business. Rett was first influenced by his grandfather, Paul Wisegarver, who had a great love of flowers and enjoyed involving his grandson in his backyard garden on Queensway Drive in Lexington.The two would shop the various venues around Lexington to decide which plants to buy and where to put them, and Rett would assist in the planting process.
As soon as Rett graduated from business school in 1986 he began attracting clients with his unique French-country style designs, which married colorful cottage style English informalities with formal lines and structures.
Another influence was the informal style the British landscaper Gertrude Jekyll, whose garden designs were influenced by arts and crafts principles. She advocated a break from formalities in planting and wanted to offer her clients a more relaxed choice of plans to give a natural appearance to her gardens.
Rett has searched locally for unique garden features to offer his clients, but has discovered that domestic availability is scarce. He has therefore begun to travel abroad in order to offer a small inventory to his clients. He is drawn to the beauty of everyday objects: the simple millstone, the copper kettle. The substantial nature of the granite millstones and the rustic rivets and patina of a copper cheese vat have become new passions.
This new passion is contained in The Garden Vault, which is located just a few blocks off Main Street in downtown Lexington, KY. Ironically, it is housed in an old Brinks Armored Car Company warehouse, which contains a unique vault door that graces the entrance to the showroom. The building itself retains many of the unique characteristics of its past.
Rett has recently had the good fortune of partnering with his nephew, Mathew Johanson. Mathew is living in Hangxhou, Zhejiang Province in east China and is fluent in Mandarin and very familiar with Chinese culture. His knowledge of the land and community has proved instrumental in locating unique antiques through Chinese associates.
Rett continued his travels to Europe this past summer to keep his inventory updated. He hopes you find your next piece of garden art in his inventory, but if you don't, please let him know what you are looking for and he will try to locate one (or more) during his travels.
THE GARDEN VAULT
255 Olde Hurst Place
Lexington, KY 40507
Contact Us!
by email:
by phone:
859-229-5695 Rett McGoodwin
859-492-1280 Sally Lambert