When Betsy O’Connell opened Violet Talk Gifts in the greenhouse building on the Broadway Boardwalk more than 27 years ago, she knew absolutely nothing about running a business. She was simply sharing her hobby of growing African Violets during an era when women collected plants.

“I had never worked before so I didn’t know that it was odd,” she chuckles.

The times changed however, and women began going back to work and plant collecting became a thing of the past. Even the places where O’Connell bought her lovely violets were beginning to go out of business. Not one to be deterred, O’Connell reacted to the changing market and began adding retail items, moved her shop to the Sunset Ridge Shopping Center in 1983, and today runs a thriving business that still includes a beautiful selection of the flowers that got her started.

Violet Talk gifts may be one of the most unusual stores in the Sunset Ridge Shopping Center. It is one of the few places left where you can buy a tasteful gift for less than $10 or splurge on something more expensive.

At first glance it might appear to be a hodge podge of items but closer inspection reveals that it is all very well thought out and tied together with a common thread: O’Connell’s personal taste.

“It’s all what Betsy likes,” she laughs. “If you don’t like my taste there are lots of other stores out there.”

Given the steady stream of customers that visit every day, O’Connell’s taste seems to be right on the money. Her store is filled daily with customers who come to peruse the unusual selection of merchandise that includes cards, frames, puzzles, books, children’s toys, baby items, seasonal decorations and much more.

Many of the items O’Connell stocks are hand crafted and often by Texas artists. Hand painted ceramic crosses by Riverplace Pottery in Laguna Park Texas grace the walls and beaded bookmarks and key chains by a Dallas area artist are scattered throughout. But the item that outsells even her namesake violets is the fudge. O’Connell began making the fudge two years after her move to Sunset Ridge because as she says, “I kept everyone’s violets living for so long that they didn’t need to come back. People eat the fudge so they have to come back for more!”

The rich, creamy delight is available in many flavors and O’Connell is always happy to hand out free samples. “Kids are always bringing their moms in because they know I will give them a sample of fudge,” she says.

Regardless of how much she has grown, there is still a special place in O’Connell’s store for the precious violets. She maintains two stands in the front of the store filled with the sweet flowers and she carries all of the necessities to keep them thriving including her “Ten Commandments of African Violets,” that each customer receives with a violet purchase.

“Violets have a bad reputation but if they weren’t easy to grow I wouldn’t still be selling them after all these years,” O’Connell says. “The trick is that you must start with a healthy violet, you must have it in the right spot and you mustn’t over take care of it.”

As the exuberant O’Connell bustles around her shop it is clear that this is a woman who, although she may have stumbled into business, clearly enjoys what she is doing—and her customers enjoy it too! Many are people who used to visit her store with their parents and are now bringing their own children to enjoy a taste of the fudge while they shop. It is that fact that keeps O’Connell happy and motivated.

“That’s why I love what I do!”

Violet Talk Gifts is located in the Sunset Ridge shopping center. For questions or information call 828-6897.