Around 1927, Bradley’s then-business partner Roy Edwards left the electric company to help with his family’s business in Toronto. In January of each year, the company would go through a slow period and Bradley would need to lay off staff until business picked up again. To keep staff on during these slow periods, he needed something to keep them busy.

Bradley created his first catalogue for mail-order seeds that covered four pages: two with vegetable seeds and two with flower seeds.

The first year was a success, much to Bradley’s surprise, with the seed business grossing $20,000 in its first year. A project to keep staff busy was now a promising pursuit.

The seed business became so popular that Bradley moved the general manager of the electric company, Phares Lymburner Vannatter, to being the general manager of seeds. Although Vannatter was originally more into mechanics, he jumped right into the seed business and soon, he and Bradley were all in. Bradley reported that in the beginning, he would be at work by 5:30 a.m. to learn all he could about the seeds and running a business based on them.

The first building on Maple Avenue was built in 1933. The mock-Tudor building that the seed house would become known for was built in 1936. Once the iconic building was built, it was clear that the success of Dominion Seed House was just starting to take root.

View of the mock-Tudor Dominion Seed House building, c. 1947. EHS23347, Esquesing Historical Society. Click on the image for more details.