Photography by Lauren Allen
Photography by Lauren Allen
Photography by Lauren Allen
Photography by Lauren Allen
Photography by Lauren Allen
Across the street from Texas Health Hospital on Greenville Avenue, tucked between Goody Goody Liquor and a Taco Bell, lies a neighborhood hidden gem full of surprises.
From the front, Sunshine Miniature Trees is unassuming. A small yellow house at the end of a gravel driveway. If there weren’t signs for the business, one could be forgiven for assuming they were on private property.
But as you walk through its door, shelf after shelf of bonsai trees and exotic plants give the sense that this isn’t just any garden store. It’s one of a tiny number of dedicated bonsai nurseries in North Texas, and has been doing business in north Vickery Meadow since 1969.
“It’s pretty special to take a business that’s had such a great clientele, that has a piece of history, not just in the physical structure, but the clients, and save it,” says owner Anne Palles. “You kind of feel like you’re doing something great for the community.”
Palles and her husband, Ted, bought the store last year from Richard Sunshine, who had owned the business for more than five decades. She runs the day-to-day operations of the store, which offers an array of bonsai species and styles.
Bonsai (literally translated to planted in a pot) is the Japanese art of growing and manipulating tree growth through the use of small pots, which restrict root development and in turn, tree growth. Technically, any tree can be a bonsai, but species like jade and juniper tend to be at the forefront, with Sunshine carrying around 10-12 species at any given time.
“Juniper is our number one seller, but we also call it the highest degree of difficulty,” Palles says. “And so you learn kind of when people walk in and say, ‘I’m a newbie, where should I start?’ You send them to a luzon, a jade or something that doesn’t need a lot of TLC, and you try to steer them away from the Juniper. But I’m telling you, so many people are like, ‘I want to try.’”
Maintenance for bonsai can be tricky for newcomers. Different species require varying levels of watering, trimming and even sporadic repotting to stave off root rot. The trees are traditionally meant to be kept outside, and Palles says placement is one of the most important things to consider when picking a bonsai.
In addition to bonsai, Sunshine sells an array of house plants and exotics, including citrus. Since taking over the business, Palles has added a small gift section complete with herbal teas and books on gardening and plant care.
“I’m not going to be competing with any gift stores, but it’s out of a convenience for the clients, especially during the holidays when they’re gift shopping.”
Adding a gift section wasn’t the only change she made as a new owner. Over the years, the property had become increasingly dilapidated. So, the interior of the building was completely gutted by Palles and her husband, who added hardwood floors, additional windows, a new foundation and industrial walls that can easily be washed off after a long day of potting.
Outside, Palles has demolished the sprawling shed that had been Sunshine’s nursery, which she refers to as a “dark cave.” The shed will soon be supplanted by an 800-square-foot L-shaped greenhouse, which Palles says will have an open-air courtyard and exposed patio. She will also put in flowering plants around the outdoors portion of the garden, which is in need of a topsoil upgrade.
“I love flowering plants,” she says. “I’m such a sucker for gardenias.”
Palles plans to begin hosting bonsai classes this spring. Richard Sunshine and his son will both make appearances leading the classes, which will be a welcome sight for many of the store’s longtime customers.
Serving those same longtime customers is Palles’ favorite aspect of running the store. As someone whose mother owned two miniature jade trees, she understands just how much Sunshine’s miniature trees mean to some.
“You want to hold on to your loved ones who aren’t here anymore. And so when I see people that come in and have those stories, it’s nice to be trusted, to be a part of that happy emotion. Tears of joy, yeah? But yeah, that’s probably the best part, and that we saved this little house, and that people still get to come in and feel that presence that they had with their mom or dad or grandparent even, is pretty cool.”
