Local nursery under new ownership, plans to stay on peninsula

After 35 years on the Key Peninsula, Sunnycrest Nursery has come under new ownership. The original owners, Claudia and Dale Loy, started the business in 1982 with limited understanding of plants and gardening, but grew to be a staple to the local economy.

Now it’s Debbie Cassidy’s turn to take over and grow something new.

“I got my degree from (Western Washington University) in horticulture,” Cassidy said. “I have always wanted to own my own greenhouse and nursery.”

The Loys decided to retire at the ages of 70 and 68 so they would have time to enjoy life together.

“There’s some things we want to do and we can’t do along with managing the day-to-day of the nursery. It’s time for a change of lifestyle,” Claudia Loy said in a previous interview with The Peninsula Gateway.

“Right now, they are in Mexico,” Cassidy said. “They are on a well-deserved vacation together.”

Cassidy said she was not the first person to try and purchase the successful nursery from the previous owners. The Loys announced their retirement in August and declined four other offers before Cassidy approached them.

Their advice to the potential buyer was straightforward and inline with their own business model: Know your neighbors.

“If you want to do well, you have to be a part of the community,” Claudia Loy said. “It’s too small a place not to be involved.”

“I told them that I wanted to buy,” Cassidy said. “I told them it would be a dream come true for me.”

Cassidy officially purchased the businesses and became the sole-owner on Nov. 7. Right away Cassidy shut the doors to start making some minor renovations and changes. She dusted and cleaned, gave the inside new paint, installed a florist section and started to bring in new, local inventory.

“I want to bring in more native plants,” Cassidy said. “And soon I’ll be making changes to the outside of the shop.”

Cassidy also set up new social media accounts to help spread the word about the nursery including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and more.

“I want people to know I am out here,” she said.

Cassidy has been in the retail business for over 35 years. She lived in Poulsbo for 25 years where she worked in multiple furniture stores and then moved to the Key Peninsula four years ago. She said she loves the area because it’s quiet and spacious.

“I don’t know if it will stay that way,” she said. “There are people moving out here in droves. But that’s also good for business.”

Cassidy has hired a staff of five and now offers florist services, gardening advice, live plants for sale and decorations for home and garden. Although she has only been in the business for a few months, she said she is already seeing a large success. This success is due to the decades of work from the Loys and her exuberant passion about plants.

“I just love to watch things I nurture grow,” Cassidy said.

Sunnycrest Nursery is located at 9004-B Key Peninsula Highway N and can be reached at 253-884-3937. Store hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

This story was originally published January 24, 2018 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Local nursery under new ownership, plans to stay on peninsula."