Popular elephant for sale/ Pachyderm topiary from flower shop up for

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jul 24, 2001 by Danielle Nieves

Elephant for sale. Will not roam, eat or require cleanup. Asking price: $3,000.

To Chuck Haley, it's practically a steal. With plans to sell the Flower Stop, Haley is putting his popular elephant-shaped topiary up for bid at a silent auction. Bids start at $3,000.

"Everybody wants this elephant," he said.

The 4-foot tall, 300-pound elephant-shape creation of wire, sphagnum moss and potting soil has caught the eye of motorists on North Union Boulevard for about nine years.

Haley and his wife have decorated the elephant and a horse-shape topiary with butterfly wings, an M&M costume and at Easter - bunny ears.

"The public has really fallen in love with these two guys," he said. "It's uncanny."

Last year, the elephant was the target of a high school prank when a graduating class cut cable wires anchoring it to the ground and dumped it on a teacher's front lawn. The teacher called Haley when he found the elephant, and the topiary was returned to the flower shop.

Haley built the store at 3350 N. Union Boulevard 18 years ago. He originally bought the elephant and horse topiaries to sell at the shop. He ended up keeping them because they were a hard sell, high priced and high maintenance.

"You can't just let them sit out there and let the weather take over," he said. "You have to have the talent for it."

Haley, a Colorado native, is planning an early retirement that will include visits to children and grandchildren in California.

The horse topiary will stay with the new owners of Haley's store, Wild Birds Unlimited, which has a store on North Academy Boulevard.

So far, Haley has gotten several calls from people curious about the elephant auction, but none has placed a bid.

If it doesn't sell? Haley will take the elephant home.

"My wife would not be too sad about that," he said.

"The emotional aspect is still there. She's going to miss it terribly."

Haley is accepting bids for the auction through noon Saturday and will announce the new owners at 3 p.m. For information, call Haley at 634-8300.