Family owned and
operated since 1979.
Celebrating over 30 years
in San Antonio.
2nd generation, family owned by Tara Richardson Welmaker.
Founded by
Betsy Welmaker O’Connell.
Visit us at:
6426 N. New Braunfels
San Antonio, Tx 78209
Sunset Ridge
Shopping Center
Hours:
Mon - Sat 10-6
Sun 12-5
Phone: (210) 828-6897
Contact Us
About Violet Talk
Betsy Welmaker O'Connell began Violet Talk in 1979. In 1983, after moving to her current location in the Sunset Ridge Shopping Center, Betsy began making her homemade fudge.
Rave reviews and a loyal following resulted. 27 years later in 2009, Betsy passed on her secret fudge recipes and the business to her daughter-in-law, Tara Richardson Welmaker.
Although now a 2nd generation family owned business, Betsy is still very much involved and you will still find her behind the counter making her famous fudge!
Not only does Violet Talk offer their fabulous fudge, they also have tasteful gifts for all ages. Priding themselves on their superior customer service, they are always willing to help you find that perfect gift. Many of their customers are the children and grandchildren of Betsy's original customers.
Visit Tara and Betsy at this unique gift shop and get your FREE sample of fudge. You will feel like family and see why their customers keep coming year after year.
North San Antonio Times
Sunset Ridge
Violet talk Gifts Blossoms Over the Years
By Bonny Osterhage
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 collection 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 everyday, 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 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 are artist are scattered throughout . But the itme that outsells even her namesake violets is the fudge. O’Connell started 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 her precious violets. She maintains two stands at the front of the store filled with the sweet flowers and 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 fudge while they shop. It is that fact that keeps O’Connell happy and motivated. “That’s what I love to do!”
Violet Talk Gifts is located in the Sunset Ridge shopping center. For questions or information call 828-0897.
North San Antonio Times
BUSINESS
Violet Talk's niche in community still intact after 25 years
Violet Talk at 6426 N. New Braunfels Ave. in the Sunset Ridge Shopping Center is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Owner Betsy O'Connell calls her store the fulfillment of her dream for a successful business.
Starting in a small g1ass enclosed store in The Boardwalk on Broadway in 1979, O'Connell and her original partner, Mary Spalten, offered many varieties of violets and a few gifts that followed a theme of "Birds, Bees, Butterflies and Flowers." Shortly after settling into this unusual retail setting, Spalten decided to start a family and sold her share to O'Connell.
It did not take O'Connell long to realize that such a limited product line and space would not cover her expenses over the long haul. She made two decisions that changed her life.
First, she moved her store to its current location at Sunset Ridge, a much larger 2,000square-foot retail space. Second, she began filling the store with a wide and unusual lineup of gift items. The store was decorated with cheery murals painted by local artist Linda Hammond that reflected O'Connell's theme. Italso. included a fuII-f1edged gazebo as a main focal point.
Early on, to increase traffic flow during the slow seasons and the peak seasons, O'Connell came up with two items that she believed guaranteed her success: one of the largest greeting card selections in the area and the start of Betsy's Homemade Fudge. She said the fudge concepf(for over 21 years) proved to be the perfect way to set Violet Talk above its peers. Not only is the fudge packaged creatively for most major holidays, its six-week shelflife allows O'Connell to ship it all over the world. She said servicemen in the first Gulf War enjoyed her fudge, and servicemen stationed in Iraq now attest to its flavor.
To celebrate the start of her 26th year in business, O'Connell has completed a makeover of her enterprise and is inviting old and new customers to sign up (through October) for chances to win dozens of prizes.
