Employee Buys North Hills Water Gardens on Babcock, Will Reopen

An employee of North Hills Water Gardens at 1615 Babcock Boulevard has leased the building and land of the business and plans to reopen it as "Bobbie's Water Gardens and More" Saturday, Oct. 8. 

Bobbie Henke, 53, worked with the former owner of North Hills Water Gardens for nine years and served as manager of the location for the past six.  

The former owner, Tom Buchser, is stepping back to spend time with his family, he said. He bought the 20-year-old business in 2003 and was its second owner. 

Henke said all five employees will remain on staff — including her daughter, 27-year-old Samantha Lunn. 

"They're my group. We are a family," Henke said of the staff. 

She said she plans to keep the store's niche serving the specialty products for backyard ponds and water features, but plans to expand the seasonal business into other areas as well, such as bird feeding and holiday decorations. 

"We're extending the season," she said. "We're going to keep our employees working longer." 

Customers seemed happy about the news. On a recent afternoon, shortly after the final paperwork was signed, Henke juggled their phone calls and shouts of congragulations as they shopped the marked down sales of the former owner's merchandise. 

Michael Lydon traveled from Mt. Lebanon to gather supplies. He said he has been coming to the store for eight years. 

"I'm just glad Bobbie is still going to be here," he said. "She's the expert." 

A former restaurant manager with a 20-year career, Henke said she took the job at North Hills Water Gardens after she and her husband decided to build a pond in their backyard and sought advice from the staff. 

Her daughter, Lunn, joined her six years ago, and her six-year-old granddaughter is already dreaming of working in the shop full-time, she said.  

"This is going to be a family business," Henke said. "This is what we do." 

The grand re-opening of the store under the new name will take place Saturday. Store hours will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day. 

The originally published version of this article incorrectly stated the ownership of the building and land of the business. It has been updated to correct the error.