A tiny storefront in the building next to Italian Touch, is a local man’s dream come true.
Eddie Hilbert Jr opened his shop June 1, 2022, with his partner, Skylar Whetzel, and carries everything a gardener might need – and things you didn’t know you did!
When asked how he decided on the name, Eddie said “I just thought it sounded cool! But honestly, there are 2 reasons. That, and because farmers leave a legacy. I don’t have children, so I wanted to build something that I could do for myself and leave behind. I’ve always worked for someone else, so this store is part of my legacy and Skylar’s as well.”
Prior to starting his own business, Eddie was at Volkswagen in Staunton for 5 years, then in car sales in Harrisonburg for 6 years.
His Grandma Pat was his babysitter when he was little, and she had a big garden. That was his first exposure to growing things, like peppers and tomatoes. His dad’s mother, Velma, (who recently celebrated her 88th birthday) has always had big flowerbeds and Eddie liked that. “Life happens and I got away from it, when you are working 70 hours a week selling cars, I wasn’t working a lot with gardening.”
When his mom fell, and broke her femur, he left the car sales and lived with his mom for about a year to help her in her recovery. To keep from going crazy, since he wasn’t working, he started a garden outside, growing tomato plants and some indoor plants. That break caring for his mom, got him back into gardening again. “Everybody around here does it, if you grow up around here, an agricultural area, you are exposed to it. And I think everybody should be.”
Grow your own, and you know what is in your food. “Gardening is grounding, productive, and rewarding. It keeps you in check, knowing you have to do this, this, and this, to keep the garden growing.”
After carefully researching, all of the inventory Eddie carries will work for any plants.
Some of the products that were developed through studies of cannabis growing, translate well in growing tomatoes and peppers.
“It is a matter of getting your macro and micro nutrients at the right level, for whatever you are growing. You can research online what a particular plant likes, and look for that product.” If something is not in stock at Legacy, it can be ordered for you.
Eddie is constantly researching and learning better ways to do things. He devoted all his time to it, during the entire year he helped his mom. He is interested in taking classes in the future also.
Soil recipes are very important in growing certain things. Eddie’s interests were fueled by early gardening experiences. He carries inventory from local vendors, and also orders from as far away as Colorado and Maine. You can find organic plant food made up of lobster, kelp, and worm castings, to grow tents and lights, fans, humidifiers. Get a head start on your indoor vegetable gardening!
