After 42 years of deadlines, Jim and Beth McPherson are trading newsprint for new growth. 

The former office of The Weston Chronicle has been transformed into a retail space for Weston Garden Center, which welcomed visitors Saturday, Aug. 29, for a fall open house. 

The McPhersons operated the newspaper from the property at 18275 State Route 45 N., which also houses the garden center. After transferring ownership of the Chronicle earlier this summer, they reset the former office with houseplants, an estate collection of vases and other merchandise. 

“We’ve changed from an office to a store with the reset that we’ve done,” Beth McPherson said. “It’s a real change from running a newspaper to basically being in retail. But it’s exciting.” 

The open house gave customers a look at the expanded shop while highlighting the garden center’s fall inventory. Visitors browsed early-season mums, sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos and varieties of celosia with names suited for the approaching Halloween season, including Dragon’s Breath and Dracula. 

The garden center also offered a one-day sale with annuals and perennials marked 50% off and perennial herbs discounted 25%. 

Visitors could enjoy free snacks and refreshments while they shopped, including blueberry turnovers baked that morning and cookies made with lavender grown at the garden center. 

Outside the former newspaper office, the garden remains as much a classroom as a retail space. 

Customers were invited to taste tomatoes picked directly from the plants, including Bada Bing, Sun Gold and Midnight Snack varieties. The tomatoes are sold by the pint. 

The display garden also produced five varieties of garlic this year, ranging from mild to sharp. The garlic, tomatoes and basil grown on the property were used to make pesto served at the center. 

The plants provide opportunities for customers to learn which varieties grow well together. Basil planted near tomatoes can help ward off certain pests and diseases, while garlic planted near roses may discourage Japanese beetles. Strong-smelling herbs such as basil, rosemary and garlic also can help deter mosquitoes around patios and decks. 

The change has brought a different rhythm to a place that, for decades, revolved around weekly publication schedules, community meetings and the next newspaper deadline. 

“The biggest change is just a mindset,” Beth McPherson said. 

The expanded retail operation will continue to evolve, with plans to add more houseplants inside the former office. For McPherson, the transition also offers an opportunity to “feed my inner introvert” after more than four decades in a profession centered on documenting community life. 

The printing equipment may be gone, but the former Chronicle office remains a place where Weston residents can stop, visit and learn something new. The building that once helped grow an informed community is now helping neighbors grow their gardens.