Murphy’s Greenery is part of a rich tradition and history to this business that has been a part of the region for over 100 years.
The story of Murphy’s Greenery goes about the same time with the Murphy family on both sides. Galax has been a family tradition since both Angie and Marty could remember.
The Murphy’s Story of Galax
Angie Murphy is the key figure at Murphy’s Greenery. She was so young when she started in the business that when she would go pick Galax with her daddy, she would have to be put in a Galax sack to cross the creeks and often fell backwards pulling Galax plants.
Her family was so very poor and they would have to pick Galax to help pay bills and get groceries. If she wanted shoes they would have to pick it. If they wanted to go to the movies they would have to pick 5000 leaves to sell it for $10.00 to get 3 movie tickets, popcorn and drinks.
Angie would stay home 1 day a week from school to pick Galax. Back then the attendance issues weren’t like they are today so she got away with it, but as she got older, and got into high school, attendance became a real issue.
Angie’s dad would work timber and logging contracts, but on his days off he would pick Galax.
Angie’s mom loved the outdoors and loved the extra income it afforded while having the time to meet the kids at the school bus when it arrived each day and then off to picking Galax with them.
Back when Angie was a little girl, she and her brother would start out in the summer time early in the day to pick 10,000 leaves, bring them home to pack them into 25 stems per bunch. Then they would go right back out in the afternoon. Angie was relentless, after picking 10,000 leaves, she’d return to the woods and rivers to pick another 5000.
Looking back at their early days, Angie remembers that in the summertime, they would pray for rain so they could have a little time off from picking Galax. In those days, there were no coolers and they could not harvest wet Galax.
While growing up Angie could remember Granny saying that she hoped she would die in the woods picking Galax, and indeed she passed away in the mountains while picking Galax.
Granny Bonnie said she never wanted to be in a hospital, and lived a simple life. The day she passed, her daughter Debbie, (Angie’s aunt) became kind of worried because her dog and Granny did not return that night as Granny was deadly afraid of the dark.
They had a feeling she had passed away because it was her dream to do so in the woods picking Galax. A family friend, Harold came over that night to comfort Debbie until morning arrived, and Angie was at home praying and crying. Harold found Granny in the woods with her Galax sack..
Marty, Angie’s husband in the business also grew up with Galax because his grandparents picked it for a living.
When Marty needed something he would “find where the money actually grew and it wasn’t in trees”, it was located in the Appalachian mountains growing in the shade and it was called Galax.
Marty’s grandparents use to pick daily over 20,000 leaves and would put them in sacks and place them on the sides of mules and return home where it was a family affair to class and tie the Galax for sale.
Galax stored at this time in wood crates as this was prior to cardboard. To keep them cool Grampa would place log moss on the top of them and place them in the cellar to maintain freshness prior to sale.
At that time, the only buyers around were George McPeters, and the Griffins (John and Lucille). They would come by once a week to buy up every bit of Galax available.
Little did the Griffins know that Angie and Marty would one day buy the company from them and grow it to what it is today.
Marty and Angie Murphy used to have different jobs prior to picking Galax and owning Murphys Greenery.
After Marty and Angie were married they work together at second shift at a carpet manufacturer for cars.
Early each morning for extra money for groceries, light bills etc. they would pull Galax together.
A Passion Becomes A Business
Angie loved Galax so much she left the plant to pick with her mother. Angie went back and forth between working and picking but finally quit her job in town to returned to the mountains to pick Galax for extra income.
Marty used to ask her “Why don’t you quit pickin’ Galax and get a real job?”.
Angie never dreamed that Galax would eventually become her business. In fact, she actually wanted to be a school teacher. Little did he know how successful her inclinations were to keep picking Galax.
In 1991, Lucille Griffin sold them the business and all of their contacts and customers – which was about 5 customers for $1000.00.
They had often talked about Marty leaving his job and when his job actually did end in Old Fort, they felt that “the Lord took the job away”. Like the old saying, “One door closes and another opens”. Since then Marty has become an integral part of the business, and the business has grown.
The Murphy’s growth was by no means easy. The family took personal loans and equity lines just to make product purchases and follow the American dream.
Reciprocity
In 1995-96 they started working with immigrant laborers from Mexico who took over the picking as most of the locals had stopped picking.
Local Galax pickers enjoy the benefits of the honesty and ethical approach the Murphys have taken in their business and it has sustained the growth based upon a simple motto Marty incorporated that says, “If I tell you to pull it we’ll buy it.” Angie and Marty agreed to back that motto “even if the orders weren’t there”.
They know their pickers. Both the Murphys and their pickers enjoy a mutual respect and reciprocity in the business. Murphy’s Greenery sustains over over 60 local families with their business and supply truckloads of Galax around the US and internationally.
And the Lord has blessed them ever since.