Hello everyone. There is TLDR at the end.
I would like to start by saying that I have only been to two bonsai shops/shops with bonsai- Eastern Leaf in California (which was mind-blowing) and one in San Antonio, Texas that carried mainly garden supplies but had quite a stock of money trees, dwarf jade, juniper trained in a windswept fashion, and a few other varieties.
All this to say I don't really have a basis on which to judge bonsai shops.
But yesterday, I was driving in Victoria, Texas, and saw a van with tables set up in a parking lot just off Navarro St. I saw trees, realized they were trying to sell bonsai, and went over. I thought it would be mallsai and figured I could get a cheap, workable tree, or at least a good story.
There were maybe 30 one-year-old windswept junipers for $30 and about 6 four to ten-year-old very developed junipers for $80-200 depending on size. The gentleman running the stand was very nice and didn't hound me at all (I'm a tad socially anxious so this was very nice) while I took a good look at the trees.
To my surprise, the trees were of excellent quality, potted in plain, professional training pots. When I asked the gentleman, he told me they were potted with lava rock on the bottom and pearlite, high quality potting soil, and some compost (Instead of those ridiculous clay beads!). I decided to get one of the smaller $30 trees. He immediately put some fertilizer on it, watered it from the bottom, and gave me a pamphlet with care guidelines, while talking to me about the last repotting and watering, telling me that the tree needed to be outside. I've got a few trees and general comprehension of the care, but it was SO NICE and blew my mind that he was taking time to teach me about the tree instead of just taking my money. I've seen a few mallsai shops and none of them could actually talk to me about their stock, much less so in detail. I was very happy, with the interaction, the tree, the price (very reasonable imho).
Before writing this, I tried to find his name on the pamphlet he gave me, but there was nothing- no business name, contact, phone number, anything. Just a detailed care guide. I believe he was a local hobbyist instead of a mass producer of 'bonsai'.
And honestly, in my small-town community, where the nearest shop is over an hour away, he's my hero.
10/10 wish I talked with him more.
TL;DR: Roadside shop in Victoria Texas just off Navarro ST. near the car dealerships. Very informational and professional with reasonable prices and nice juniper trees.