Cliff Simmons is the owner of Nature’s Garden, a well-known staple in Mount Pleasant. He has been a business owner for over 30 years and played a large role in making the store into what it is today. Nature’s Garden started as a small garden center with a truckload of watermelons on the corner of Rifle Range. Simmons had a passion for sharing his natural food with the people of Charleston, which is where the name “Nature’s Garden” originates from. The garden center had slowly morphed from greens and garden tools to more garden decorations. Now you can mostly find a large variety of both statues and decorations; on any given walk through the store, you never know what you may find.
Simmons is not only a business owner but also a life coach, currently guiding his family and friends. These things together give him “a good opportunity to help his community.” Talking to people who come by gives him great joy. He enjoys meeting new people because “you never know what can happen.”
Simmons grew up and still lives in the neighboring house of his business. As a kid, he had a multitude of animals around him. Across the street was a rabbit farm, with hundreds of rabbits. Growing up he had dogs, cats, rabbits, doves, and pigeons. Simmons’ father had many birds throughout the years and occasionally you can still see doves visiting. Simmons has fond memories of being on the water. As a kid he would go water skiing with his friends on Sullivan’s. Later in life he went on an impromptu trip to the Florida Keys where he stayed on a private island for 3 months. He says it was an amazing experience and gave great opportunities for self reflecting. The land that Nature’s Garden is currently on was previously Mt. Pleasant Flower Nursery, Simmons’ mother’s business. The land was vacant for many years until Simmons used it for his own business.
On his one day off a week, he does things that relax him. He goes to the beach, bikes, and rests. He will do things that “get away from business” or do “as little as possible.” One of the things that catches the eye of many people are the “Big Foots” that surround the store. Simmons states that he has these Big Foots displayed for purposes of entertainment and humor. They are something that nearly everybody can enjoy and have a fun conversation about. Below are some of Simmons’ favorite statues that continue to keep character in Mt. Pleasant.
Right: Dogs Licking Boy
