SUNNY HILL GARDENS MOVES AND EXPANDS

Sunny Hill Garden Center Inc., known for its green thumb expertise for more than six decades, has moved to 206 N. Kingshighway.

"We have completely redecorated the building inside and out at our new location," said Paul Schnare, who purchased the Sunny Hill garden business from Bill and Ramona Brinkopf in February. "We're also in the process of constructing a new greenhouse at the site."

Schnare, who has been involved in the lawn and garden business since 1974, also owns Accu-Grow Lawn and Tree Service Inc. at 1110 N. Cape Rock Drive and Accu-Grow Lawn Care Service at Carbondale, Ill.

"We are operating Sunny Hill as a separate business under the Sunny Hill Garden Inc. name," said Schnare.

The firm moved into its new facility last weekend.

"We feel our new location offers us high visibility, and we have plenty of parking," said Schnare.

The new facility, which formerly housed an auto dealership, has about 11,000 square feet under roof and three acres of ground. "This is more than double the space we had on Christine Street," said Schnare.

"Sunny Hill has added a new dimension to our business," said Schnare. "At Accu-Grow we offer lawn care, landscaping, lawn sprinkling and floral services. Here we provide a complete garden center and accessories operation."

The Sunny Hill firm had been on Christine since 1968. The company dates back more than 60 years when it had its beginning in the early 1930s. Louis C. and Charles F. Blattner founded the Sunny Hill Feed and Seed Store at 240 S. Frederick.

Schnare, a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor of science degree in forestry, a master's degree in genetics and a doctorate in plant physiology, founded his first lawn and garden operation at Columbia. He sold that business and returned to Cape Girardeau, where in 1981 he opened a lawn service at Frederick and Themis.

The Schnares Paul and Marilyn moved their operation to its present site in 1986, when they purchased property from Town and Country Gardens on North Cape Rock Drive.

Meanwhile, Sunny Hill Pet Shop, the city's oldest pet and supply store, will expand at 335 Christine. "We will be making some changes in the pet operation here," said Brinkopf. "The store will be more departmentalized, which will make it more convenient for our customers. This will double the space of our operation."