MIDDLEBORO — Plants and friendships have bloomed at Williams Trading Post for nearly 75 years.

The business at 556 Wareham St. “began in 1949 with a few boxes of pansies,’’ according to the company’s web site.

Through the years, Williams Trading Post has blossomed into a popular location for green thumbs, with plants of varying sizes and vibrant colors filling the store. 

Williams Trading Post represents one of the few family-owned businesses along Route 28 between Middleboro and Buzzards Bay, said owner Martha Williams Dupuis. 

Plants and the people that love them are in her blood, she said. The business has “been in my heart and my soul all my life,’’ she said. 

Three generations of the Williams family have operated the business. Her grandparents, Harold and Florence Williams, started the venture. Their son, her father Harold “Buzzy’’ Williams, then took over, followed by her brother Nat.

Williams Dupuis took the reins in 2003.

The business has long been a town mainstay,

When Hurricane Carol took out power in much of Middleboro in 1954, Williams Trading Post sold candles to ensure people had light. 

As the decades passed, the business has grown to meet the needs of its customers. 

Customers still purchase small packs of plants, not unlike the boxes of pansies that were offered when the business began, she said. 

But these days, “a lot of people want bigger plants for their gardens.’’

She said customers are drawn to plantings with the “Proven Winners’’ insignia. Proven Winners provides annuals, perennials and flowering shrubs to garden stores that Williams Dupuis described as “easy care, gorgeous plants.’’

Knowing her plants are locally sourced makes them especially popular, she said. “I’m working with the best growers in New England,’’ she said.

To celebrate nearly three quarters of a century in operation, Williams Trading Post recently celebrated with a day filled with special events. 

Attendees enjoyed light refreshments, the sounds of dulcimer and flute in the afternoon performed by Patty and Barry Simon and sandwiches and ice cream from Oxford Creamery. Children also participated in an educational scavenger hunt to locate and identify plants and other items to win a prize.

“It was an outstanding day,’’ Williams Dupuis said. “The vibe of the day was very warm,’’ with people “milling around and catching up.’’

They will also host a not-quite-all-night twilight event from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, May 12. 

Williams Dupuis said you don’t have to bear the Williams name to be considered family.

“I’ve known four generations of families’’ who have been customers, she said, “We’re friendly here.’’

The family connection extends to her staff, even though they may not be biologically related. 

“We enjoy it here. We all work well together. We’re sisters of the heart.’’