From: The Carmel Pinecone, October 11th 2002

Homescapes, Carmel: A new “secret garden” opens in Carmel

Carmel lost one of it's treasures when the Secret Garden on Dolores closed it's doors in 2001. Long-time residents remember the days when the Creamery next to the Standard station on Ocean filled the bellies of children while parents filled their cars with octane. The produce market, Mediterranean Market.... in 2001 the Secret Garden joined so many old favorites as just a sweet memory.

When Carmel natives Thompson and Beau Lange opened Homescapes, Carmel in 1999, they were very aware of the Carmel that existed just down the street from their classrooms at Wood's School on Dolores in the long ago 60's. They filled the old bank on 7th and Dolores with art, plants, orchids and furniture they hoped would feel as artistic and original as the Carmel of their childhoods. “It's a funny thing about being from a bohemian artists community that becomes a travel destination,” says Lange, whose degree in Scenic Design from UCLA has influenced the merchandising of the store. “A lot of people are surprised that we travel to such far-flung places just to find some relic that might look good as a coffee table. All I can say is...the Carmel I knew when I was a kid was filled with tie-dyeds and patchouli. Expressing yourself was the mantra of the day,” he adds with a smile.

With that in mind, when Thompson's brother and business partner, Beau, suggested they add a garden to Homescapes, Carmel the idea instantly hit a chord.

“When we opened our first store in 1994 a garden was very much part of our business plan,” says Beau. “When we sold our interest in The Grove and devoted ourselves to the Carmel location we really felt a void.” Beau Lange, whose degree in horticulture was instrumental in the merchandising of interior plants and orchids for Homescapes, Carmel set out to clean up and replant the area between the 5,000 square foot main building and the light-filled adjacent annex on Dolores the brothers acquired in November 2001. This past August, Lange went to England and found a garden's worth of architectural artifacts and the rest is (Carmel) history. Just in time for Homescapes, Carmel's 3rd anniversary a new “Secret Garden” is born.