Tsawwassen is losing a long-standing business.

After 50 years, Harris Nursery in Tsawwassen will close its doors for the final time on Sunday.

Ladner's Harris Nurseryland, however, is still going strong and will continue to serve South Delta's plant and gardening needs.

The original Tsawwassen location came from humble beginnings. Avid gardener Gerry Harris built a greenhouse on his property. After cultivating a good number of plants, he decided to see if any nurseries in the area wanted to sell them.

Finding little success, Gerry and wife Vernette decided to sell the plants themselves.

The couple remembers setting up wooden planks on sawhorses and selling the plants in front of their house.

The rest, as they say, is history. Locals bought the plants that first time, continued to come back and a business was born.

Gerry continued to work for B.C. Hydro while Vernette took care of the day-to-day operation of the nursery. Business was booming and it soon became too much for one person. In 1972, Gerry quit the power company and started working full-time at the nursery.

In the early 1980s, the family moved the business to its current location on 12th Avenue. The move also brought a few changes - it started selling giftware, gardening tools and added a florist. And in 1986, the Ladner location, which is now owned by son Scott Harris, opened.

Harris Nursery has always been a true family affair.

Scott started working at the family business fulltime after completing high school in 1978 and his wife Michele now works at the Ladner location. Daughter Shelley, who is a teacher at Pebble Hill Elementary, still does deliveries and her husband Cory also works at the Ladner nursery.

Vernette and Gerry say they have come to the end of their working years and decided to close the Tsawwassen location and hand the reins over to Scott.

They are thankful to the community for all the support over the years.

"We just appreciate all the business they've given us and support over the years," Gerry said. "It's just unreal."

The Tsawwassen location has been running a different sale every week leading up to the closure. This week, everything is 70 per cent off until the doors close for the final time on Sunday.

Harris Nursery is located at 5456-12th Ave.

The site is likely to be redeveloped into multi-family housing.