One of

Peachtree City's oldest businesses has shut its doors.

Nature's

Nursery quietly closed down two weeks ago at its location

on north Ga. Highway 74. Residents who enjoyed the

service in Peachtree City can still shop at the company's

Fayetteville headquarters, said owner Phil Jackson.

Business

decisions caused the company to consolidate its

operations, he added.

The

business opened in Peachtree City 21 years ago with

Jackson's partner, Steve Kenney, running the store. Four

years ago, the partners started a tree farm in

Luthersville and Kenney spent most of his time at the

farm.

"It's

hard when you've had one person in the same location for

17 years and then have to replace him," said

Jackson.

The company

planned to consolidate its retail efforts in Fayetteville

and the success of the tree farm helped speed the

process.

Jackson

conceded that the opening of Pike's Nursery across the

street was also a factor.

"I'd

be a fool to say that didn't impact us, but I've been

dealing with Pike in Fayetteville since 1988," he

said.

The

Peachtree City store still turned a profit last year and

Jackson could have kept the store open, but felt the time

was right for the consolidation.

He still

owns the property and is going to lease it to a wholesale

nursery company that deals with other retailers.

With the

consolidation, Jackson said he's now able to offer

customer other services that he couldn't do when he was

trying to run two stores.

"We

now offer a full-time landscaping service that our

customers have been asking for," he said.

He urges

his Peachtree City customers to stop by the Fayetteville

store to get the same service they received in Peachtree

City for more than two decades.