These Freeport greenhouses have been attracting visitors from near and far for 22 years
FREEPORT — Although it’s tucked away in the Stephenson County countryside, K&T’s Greenhouses is anything but a hidden gem.
The 30,000 square-foot facility draws thousands of customers each year from communities that stretch far beyond its Freeport location.
Owners Cindy and Bob Gaulrapp started the business 22 years ago and named it after their sons, Kyle and Trevor.
The operation started with three greenhouses and has since grown to six conservatories that house hundreds of thousands of flowers, vegetables, perennials, and tropical plants. The operation is popular with a loyal base and a growing number of customers from greater Freeport, southern Wisconsin and beyond.
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“(Customers) come from everywhere — Freeport, Lanark, Shannon, Monroe, Stockton, Warren,” said Cindy Gaulrapp, adding that guests know they're getting quality products because she grows everything but tropicals on site.
Cindy Janssen, of Shannon, Illinois, has been shopping at K&T’s almost as long as it’s been open and never questions whether she’ll be back.
“There’s always a nice variety. Everything is very healthy, and the flowers are beautiful,” Janssen said. “They also last throughout the summer, which is important.”
The bucolic setting plays a role in the allure.
While department stores have their niche, K&T’s continues to thrive as a true destination business.
“People like coming out here because it’s in the country,” Gaulrapp said. “And new people come every year.”
Like most small business owners, the Gaulrapps felt the uncertainty in March 2020, when Gov. JB Pritzker issued a stay-at-home order that shuttered companies across the state at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As it turned out, their uncertainty soon turned to confidence.
Customers were homebound for most of year but found plenty of time to visit their favorite greenhouse.
“It was the biggest year we’ve ever had,” Gaulrapp said. “People must have wanted to get out of the house because we were just swamped.”
Things haven’t slowed down for K&T's since their 2020 boom, evidenced by shopping events like Mother’s Day that saw much of their spring crop disappear before the weekend was even over.
“We did around $60,000 (in sales) in just those two days,” Gaulrapp said.
When they’re not tending to their greenhouses and Bob’s snowplowing business, the Gaulrapp's spend time with their grandchildren and make annual trips to Florida.
They’re not snowbirds though. Not yet. They still plan to keep working until they hand the reigns over to Trevor, who aspires to keep things going when his parents retire.
Gaulrapp said she expects her current crop to be sold out some time in June, when she’ll close and plant the next one. She'll reopen in August until that crop is gone. Next year’s spring crop will be planted Feb. 1, she said.
K&T Greenhouses is at 5943 W. Burr Oak Road, Freeport, and is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The business can be reached on Facebook and by calling 815- 235-7989.
Jim Hagerty: jhagerty@rrstar.com; @jimhagerty
This article originally appeared on Journal Standard: Freeport's K&T Greenhouses celebrates 22 years in business
