Bentleys, A Peachtree Corners Landmark

Riding bikes down a long dirt road for miles and never seeing a car is just one of the many of Lewis Bentley's memories. Born in 1937 and raised in Pinckneyville with his three siblings, he remembers the late 1940s as long days and lots of fun growing up in this once rural community. 

The corner of Holcomb Bridge Road and Spalding Drive, which now sports a Chevron filling station, shopping center and a park near the river, was the location of what he refers to as the Bentley place; his grandparents home, where his father and eight brothers grew up. It’s near the bowling alley and was then, no doubt, right down the way from Mr. Neely’s farm. 

A mule wagon and horses were not an unusual sight around the area when Bentley was a boy. He says his grandparents place had no electricity and used water from a well. “When you saw a car coming down the road you immediately knew who it was because you recognized everyone’s car," recalls Bentley. Nobody was a stranger in this close knit community. 

After they married Bentley and his wife, Pauline, moved out and built a house at the intersection of Holcomb Bridge and Crooked Creek roads. Pauline’s family in south Georgia was in the nursery business so, even though Bentley worked for General Electric, he began selling some of the South Georgia pine straw on the side, right there from his home some 40 years ago.

Eventually the G.E. job came to an end and Bentley made the big decision to move into the nursery business full time. So in 1983, he built on Medlock Bridge Road what is now to residents a very familiar landmark, Bentley’s Nursery.

Since that time many things have changed in our area, but Bentley’s is still right were it’s always been. They used to sell trees and shrubs as well as pine straw and stones, but now sell only hardscape materials. I can say from my own experience, having bought pine straw from a variety of places over the years, the pine straw from Bentley’s is consistently good. I just bought some there a few weeks ago. 

Bentley’s looks very much now as it did when it opened in that spot 27 years ago. All that time the Bentleys have brought us products to help give us pride in our homes and neighborhoods. Many thanks to Lewis Bentley for his contribution to our community.