BATON ROUGE — Plant World Nursery & Hardware has been a staple in Baton Rouge for almost 50 years. Gary and Marianne Chapman started the business back in 1977. It’s played a huge role in the community, and the Chapman family ever since.
Now, after nearly five decades in business, the Chapman family has decided to close Plant World’s doors following Gary and Marianne’s tragic deaths in late 2025. The store wouldn’t exist had the couple not met 65 years ago while working together in the retail industry.
“My father was a lifelong retailer. He and my mom met in 1960,” one of the couple’s sons, Gary Chapman Jr. told UWK. “He was an assistant manager for Woolworth. He’s from North Little Rock, Arkansas, but they moved him all around the Southeast. My mother was hired to work at that store when he was like, 17 or 18 years old.”…