Perrson’s Closes, Plants Left to Die

The longtime Family owned nursery, Perrson’s, known for its public fight in 2007 with Southern California Edison over a plan to evict a number of nurseries along the power company’s Pasadena corridor replacing them with self-storage facilities, shutdown after owner Gary Butters died three months ago of pancreatic cancer.
A source close to the family said this week Butters wife Linda then become behind on the lease. They also said rather than try and work something out or sell the business the gates were locked leaving hundreds of plants left to perish. The source said the couple was going through a divorce.
At press time phone calls to Edison and the family were not returned.
In recent weeks, residents passing by the 3115 East Sierra Madre Blvd location have noticed rows of potted shrubs, bushes, flowers and trees on the property turning brown. The city’s Planning Department Planning Division said Thursday they knew nothing of the situation.
Alvin Toma, owner of nearby Present Prefect Nursery said they shared customers and had heard Perrson’s closed. He said he thought it was the economy.
Toma said most likely the plants left at Perrson’s were supplied by Monrovia Nursery Company in Irvine. Judy Lynes, a spokesperson for Monrovia Nursery said she did not know who currently owned the plants but would look into it.
In July of 2007 Butters settled a long running dispute with Edison over terminating their lease. At the time, two groups, Pasadena Open Space Preservation (POSP) and Open Space Now joined forces to stall a deal between, Edison and Pacific Storage Partners that they said would have taken away open space by closing nurseries. Pacific Storage Partners has moved forward with a new proposal for the Edison corridor that creates new public park spaces and a bike path.
Present Prefect Nursery 140 South Kinneloa Ave also settled with Edison in 2007. Although the terms of the agreement were not made public, both Perrson’s and Present Prefect were given long-leases with Edison.
Persson’s opened 39 years ago by the parents of Linda Persson-Butters, Gary Butters wife.