Greenway Nursery began as a misadventure in 1972. Eugene Vernon Williams Jr., known as Sonny Williams by most people in Trenton, TN, moved his young family to Memphis on a promise of a higher-paying, full-time job at Market Basket, located on Summer Avenue where his cousin was employed. For six months, Sonny enjoyed managing the nursery portion of the Market Basket. He learned about trees, landscape design, customer service, and plant care.

As the spring and summer rush season came to an end, so did the job. The company did not offer a landscaping service, so Sonny put an ad in the Yellow Pages and rented a plot of land at Greenway Golf Course to take care of his trees and shrubs - which he would eventually plant for his customers. Greenway Nursery was painted on the sign and the truck at that time.

For three years, Sonny enjoyed developing a real talent for landscape design. The owner of the Market Basket, who was an Italian immigrant, had also impressed him. He had become successful in growing his business from a wagon of fruit on the corner of Summer and Mendenhall to acres of produce, plants, and the largest garden center in Memphis. Sonny observed what a man could accomplish if he was willing to work hard.

Frequent trips home to the Trenton area to visit family and the unthinkable rise in gasoline prices from thirty-five cents to fifty cents made Sonny wish his business were closer to home. One day with God's guidance (and this is fully believed) Sonny and his family took a trip back to Gibson County to look around and see if there seemed to be a possibility of locating in another town near home.

The first stop was Milan and the very first stop the car made was at the corner of Highway 45 and Brentwood. A car lot and an open lot were there and looked like the prime spot in Milan for any business. Sonny spoke to the owner, James Irby, about his desire to rent a prime spot for the nursery location. Mr. Irby said he and Felix Fly owned a couple of acres at Graball which would be perfect. Fifteen thousand dollars bought a little house and what was believed to be a prime location.

The family moved in August of 1975 and went to work setting up the first shade house for plants and advertised the landscape service. Encouraged and helped by the Denton Fly family and Bob and Dorris Parkins, who often took the young couple to church and community functions and introduced them to the Rotary Club and various other service organizations. The fine associations with the good people of Milan helped form the principles of what Greenway Nursery is based upon today.

What sets Greenway Nursery apart from other businesses of this type is that the customer's needs dictate what direction the business takes. Greenway Nursery's main objective is to provide its customers with the highest quality in service and merchandise. Truth, friendliness, and good cultural information are provided around the clock for all people of West Tennessee who have a need.

Call (731) 226-2148 or visit us today.