Jeremy Friedman used to compete with Welby Gardens.

Now, he owns some of the company’s land and employs its former owner and CEO.

“I’m just excited to have this opportunity that most business folks would love, when your competitor closes its door and leaves the market share to be had,” said the owner of Arvada-based Blooma Farms.

His wholesale grow operation, which primarily sells flowers and vegetables to independent garden centers, is growing into 5 acres of greenhouses at 6710 Washington St. formerly owned by Welby Gardens. Friedman estimated that the legacy plant purveyor was three to four times the size of Blooma when it shut down over the summer. Welby also operated on 20 acres in west Arvada.

Blooma, founded in 1981 as Brown’s Greenhouses and acquired by Friedman in 2010, purcha

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