about
Bob Sneed’s grandparents opened a general store, aptly named “Sneed’s General Store”, in 1933. It was located next door to the present Garden Center, in the parking lot that today houses a gas station and convenience mart. The best remembered of Bon Air’s general stores, Sneed’s Store became a regular stopping place for travelers going to and from the city and was the only place to shop between downtown Richmond and Midlothian!
Fast-forward to December 1975...Bob and his younger brother Tommy decided to pursue their interest in landscaping and start a business. The horticultural pursuits of the Sneed brothers met with great support from their grandmother, Tooie Sneed, an avid gardener and bird lover who dreamed of utilizing the family property while preserving its natural beauty.
Bob and Tommy jump-started their landscaping business with merely a pick up truck, a shovel, and a load of Christmas trees to sell. They made enough money that Christmas to buy 20 posts for a slat house, but not enough for the slats to make shade for nursery stock. All was not lost, however, because the following spring they landed a $20,000 landscape job and received a little help from family. The slat house was finished, “The Family Tree” was born, and a grandmother’s dream -- as well as that of two brothers -- was realized.
Over time “The Family Tree” became Sneed’s Nursery and Garden Center. That original name truly embodies the spirit of our business, which is to reach out to families in the community and to get everyone interested in gardening.
The family tree IS branching out!
