I couldn’t picture Great Brook Farms in my head, although I knew I had driven down Route 117 in Bolton countless times over the years.

Yet, on this spring-like day, I find the Garden Center & Café easily just beyond the 495 ramp. The oversized Cape with the welcoming porch is the pleasant-looking building I had wanted to visit several times in the past.

With three children in tow, I am hoping to find something family-friendly. So, when the resident cat, Jessie, takes a break from sunning herself on the front porch to welcome us, I see this as a sign.

Inside, the beamed-ceiling, fireplace, quaint café tables, rustic floor, and pleasant music make a warm impression. My family is greeted again, but this time the owner, Bruce Slater, comes out to meet us.

Slater shows us around his “house with the store on the bottom”, the nickname given by his two children, Abby, 10, and Aidan, 4, who live upstairs with Slater and his wife Anita.

Slater is at home, so to speak, as he shows us the beautiful line of Smith and Hawkins outdoor living furniture that he started selling last year. The high-quality furniture “make you feels good,” says Slater, and is guaranteed for life. He offers free set-up and delivery and a BBQ dinner for five with purchase.

This cozy Smith and Hawkins display area is where live, local acoustic musicians perform on Saturdays from 3 to 5 p.m. A complete schedule of performers is available on the Web site, www.greatbrookfarms.com. Slater is excited about the performances and open to other ideas for his expanding café.

Slater also features different local artists on the walls of the cafe each month. Currently, the gallery showcases the still photography of local artist Dan Senie.

“I want do something special and different,” says Slater about making Great Brook Farms more than just a place to shop for outdoor furniture and garden essentials. “I want to make it an experience for people to come enjoy a delicious gourmet lunch or BBQ, a cup of coffee, or some ice cream while relaxing and soaking in the vibes.”

Soon, Great Brook Farms will be receiving annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, herbs, mulch, and other garden essentials. When customers see the displays outside, Slater hopes they will also take the time to experience the other side of the garden center: delicious food, friendly service, acoustic music, and outdoor furniture showroom.

Great Brook Farms was started as a greenhouse by Slater’s father in 1995. When father and son built the current building in 1998, Slater’s wife, who is originally from England, told them that 99 percent of garden centers in Europe have cafes. The family faced the dilemma many garden centers face: To Café or Not to Café.

With his wife’s suggestion in mind, Slater, who loves to cook and eat, perfected his secret BBQ sauce and smoking techniques and started making gourmet food. The Slaters have been serving it in-house and for catered functions for the past nine years.

It is about this time in our visit that I begin to feel tugging on my legs. My three daughters need a snack. Since Slater raves about the Gifford’s ice cream ordered from Maine, we forgo whoopie pies and brownies, and decide on chocolate and cookie dough cones. As he scoops, he tells us that he is planning to put in an ice cream window and outdoor seating this spring. All ears perk up when he invites us to come back when it’s warmer to meet the goats, Will and Grace, as well as a new llama.

As the kids work on their cones, which are delicious as promised, I survey the lunch menu. The scoop-n-salads, topped with cranberry walnut chicken, pesto chicken, or tuna fish, look delicious. Soups include grilled chicken corn chowder, rosemary and balsamic chicken, and Italian wedding. A range of sandwiches, including panini, make me want to eat lunch again. Plus, Slater’s signature BBQ served in a sandwich or meal is a big draw. His take-out dinner of homemade smoked ribs and pulled pork with beans, slaw, and cornbread is a fun alternative to picking up a pizza. Not forgetting the kids, PB & J, grilled cheese, tuna, and turkey and cheese, round off the selections.

I compliment Slater on the menu. Driving by all these years, I never looked beyond the plants and flowers to see that there was such a comfortable spot to eat.

Slater hopes to treat the summer crowd to an expanded menu including lighter fare such as crab cakes, nachos, and even hot dogs. Customers can eat in the air-conditioned café or on the porch.

In the future, Slater believes Great Brook Farms will be a picturesque spot for events, festivals, and weddings. He hopes to take advantage of the family’s 40 acres of land complete with beautiful spring-fed ponds. His dream includes building a gazebo and glass solarium.

 “When that entrepreneur bug bites you,” says Slater, “there’s no going back.”

Great Brook Farms Garden Center & Cafe is located on 356 Main St. (Route 117) in Bolton, 1/2-mile east of 495 exit 27. It is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Great Brooks Farms will deliver mulch, loam, crushed stone, stone dust, nursery stock, and Smith and Hawkins furniture. The farm can be reached at 978-779-6680 or www.greatbrookfarms.com.