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Waters Edge Garden & Pond settles into new home in Munster

By Karen Abbott-Trimuel

MUNSTER, Ind. (November 10, 2021) – On Tuesday, November 9, Carolyn and Dave Scofield celebrated the new location of their business, Waters Edge Garden & Pond Center, with a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open their doors at 5 Ridge Road in Munster, Indiana. They were joined by their staff, friends, fellow Lansing chamber members, and Lansing leaders.

water's edge
From left: Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce President Susan Thompson, Lansing Village Clerk Vivian Payne, Bud Eidam, Dave Scofield, Jason Brennan, Carolyn Scofield, Helen Backe, Debbie Gliwa, Chuck Price, Karen Tarpley, Melanie Jongsma, and Rita Olson gather for the ribbon cutting of the new Waters Edge location. (Photo: Josh Bootsma)

From happy ponds to happy stuff

The Scofields have been in business for over 20 years. It all began 20 years ago, with the installation of ponds.

“Ponds make people happy, and when they call me to let me know how it makes them feel, I know we are bringing happiness to our customers,” said Carolyn Scofield.

15 years ago, Waters Edge opened their physical location at 18418 Wentworth Avenue in Lansing. The business began to grow, and soon after, they added Christmas merchandise, a women’s boutique, decorative furnishings, and specialty items. “I like to see people happy, and that’s why I sell happy stuff,” Scofield said.

Scofield is not new to the retail industry. She began working in her family’s deli at the age of 14. From there, she would manage two cellular phone locations before becoming an entrepreneur and opening Waters Edge Garden & Pond Center with her husband.

“I’m so glad I made a move to owning my own business, and I would do it all over again. I’m 70 years old, and I’m doing something that I love and makes me happy. It doesn’t get any better than this,” she said.

A shopper examines some Christmas water globes at the new Waters Edge location. (Photo: Josh Bootsma)

See the vision and make it plain

“Location, location, location is everything,” Scofield said with a big smile on her face. “I had been riding past this location for several years. We couldn’t have asked for a better location than where we are now, and the windows helped to seal the deal.”

Munster Rental was the last business to call 5 Ridge Road home. After watching and inquiring about the property, Scofield finally rode past the vacant property one day and saw a sign in the newly installed windows stating the property was available for lease. That was her cue to contact the owners and get the ball rolling. Finally, she knew the vision she had for her business was about to become a reality.

Waters Edge Garden & Pond is now located at 5 Ridge Road, immediately east of the state line. (Photo: Josh Bootsma)

“It was essential for us to move to a more prominent location that would complement and feature our business,” she explained.

The Scofields are grateful to have had the opportunity to house their business in Lansing for as long as it was. “Lansing customers are very supportive and loyal, and I value our relationships with our customers. We didn’t want to move too far and compromise our large customer base in Kankakee, Tinley, Orland, and Portage. It was important to stay centrally located to maintain our current customers and offer our services to new ones, and it looks like that decision has paid off. If we could have found the same type of location in Lansing, we would still be there,” Scofield said.

Water's Edge
During the winter months, Waters Edge offers a wide variety of interior decor, festive decorations, ladies clothing, and other items. (Photo: Karen Abbott-Trimuel)

A shopper’s dream

When shoppers walk through the doors of the newly remodled building, they are greeted by a friendly atmosphere, welcoming smiles, and inviting and engaging customer service by staff. Eyes are drawn to the variety of colorful items displayed around the store and on the shelves. Including home décor, Christmas decor, a women’s boutique, and an assortment of merchandise, Waters Edge is an ideal destination for shoppers.

The Holiday season is in full swing at Waters Edge, now located in Munster. (Photo: Josh Bootsma)

The Waters Edge family

“We don’t see our staff as just employees; we see them as our family,” Scofield said.
Four Waters Edge Garden & Pond Center employees have been with the Scofields for more than a decade (Mike – 18 years, Karen – 14 years, Rita – 11 years, and Chuck – 11 years), and they recently hired two new employees to join them at the new location (Helen and Debbie).

From left: Dave Scofield, Debbie Gliwa, Karen Tarpley, Carolyn Scofield, Rita Olson, Chuck Price, and Helen Backe make up the Waters Edge team. (Photo: Josh Bootsma)

After planning and early ordering, Waters Edge Garden & Pond Center is well stocked for this holiday season, with November 11 – 14 scheduled as their Christmas open house.

Waters Edge is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday – Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The business’s new location is 5 Ridge Road, Munster, IN.

Karen Abbott-Trimuel
Karen Abbott-Trimuel
Karen Abbott-Trimuel is a playwright, author, motivational speaker, and freelance journalist who has lived in Lansing for 17 years. She has always been passionate about writing and storytelling and enjoys meeting and inspiring people. She has established a reputation for writing quality entertainment through her stage plays, authored two books, "Ladies Night Unmasked" and "Check Your Assets and Know Your Value – A Woman's Guide to Becoming Her Authentic Self," and written an article "Are You Happy?" for the online writer's platform Writer UnBoxed. Karen is excited by writing great stories that uplift, inspire, and strengthen the Lansing community.

4 COMMENTS

  1. Beautiful bsiness and location , huge improvement from the liitle plce on Wentworth in Lansing, Better Location and elegance. Less taxes and great loction ! Lot more to follow to Indiana ! 🙁
    God Bless the Scofields and Waters Edge best of luck to all !

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