Unique Backyards

At Giannini Garden Ornaments, the selection of handmade pieces often overwhelms customers. Fountains, birdbaths, planters, benches, tables, urns, statues — for some people, it’s overwhelming in the best possible way.

“They make two or three trips here before making a selection, there’s so much to see,” says Piera Giannini, a native San Franciscan who owns the South San Francisco business with her Italian-born husband Marino.

On each visit, one of the Gianninis or their two sons, PierLuigi, 25, a Sacramento State graduate with a business degree and Alessandro, 18, a Sacramento State business student, are on hand to help guide customers. The family adheres to Old World traditions that include making almost all the items on the premises in a factory many people overlook as they amble, enthralled, through the show garden with more than 400 flowing fountains.

“Everything for our garden ornament line is manufactured at our location,” she says. Marino, who comes from a family with deep, long roots in stone working, is the designer. He creates ornaments to last for generations because that’s what he knows.

“We supervise production from beginning to end,” Piera says.

The enterprise with 30 employees also crafts the array of waterspouts, including a new line of rustic iron styles, used in the fountains. There are 50 styles of water spouts to select from. Change a waterspout and you completely transform the look of a fountain. Even customers who come in having done their research on the company’s well-organized web site find new ways of thinking about a project when exploring the options.

“I always tell them to get what they love,” says Piera. “I know there’s a lot to see, we have 20 different finishes, some look vintage, some look like travertine stone. So we understand that it can take time to decide.”

With the exception of pizza ovens and a selection of terra cotta and ceramic items they import from family-owned firms in Italy, everything is made “in the USA” says Piera proudly. She also points out that having locally manufactured items means a small carbon footprint because there’s little shipping involved.

“People like that, and they appreciate how hands-on we are, and that we’re a family who makes everything, rather than just reselling,” she says. “It’s a rarity, so they refer their friends. We have designers, landscape architects, and customers coming back again and again.”

Visit Giannini Garden Ornaments factory and showroom, 225 Shaw Road, South San Francisco, (650) 873-4493, Monday through Saturday 8:00 am– 4:30 pm or at www.gianninigarden.com.