SOUTH DEERFIELD — One of the prospective owners of Magic Wings often thinks back to fond memories of celebrating a life milestone at the nearly quarter-century-old butterfly conservatory and gardens on Routes 5 and 10.

“My brain could not put down Magic Wings,” said Victoria Tubbs, whose husband proposed to her at the butterfly conservatory 15 years ago. “It’s beautiful here. All it needs is a little love and it can be so much more than it is — and that’s not in a bad way.”

Tubbs, a Greenfield resident with roots on a family farm in Michigan, has a wide-ranging background in administrative services, event planning and catering, and is seeking to use those skills to take over the beloved butterfly conservatory. Alongside her is Vytautas Sukys, her brother with a background in aerospace engineering, whom she has recruited to the Pioneer Valley from their home state.

While there are still plenty of details to iron out, including funding, the prospective owners are the most promising group to consider purchasing Magic Wings since it first went up for sale in 2014, according to George Miller III, who co-owns the business with his sister Kathy Fiore.

“Clearly they’re very serious, very much interested and engaged. There’s still quite a few steps in the process, but so far, so good,” Miller said. “My sister and I are definitely excited about the potential of this.”

If the new owners succeed in taking over Magic Wings, they said folks can expect more of the same, as well as the revitalization of former programs offered at the business, such as the cafe, and more educational offerings.

Another focus, Tubbs said, would be branching out into the community and creating new partnerships. Sukys added he envisions Magic Wings bringing more demonstrations to events in the area, which the business used to do in its early days.

“We’re very motivated to work with people here. I want to work with the local artists. I want to work with local businesses,” Tubbs said, with Sukys saying, “Hopefully we’ll rise as a pillar of the community.”

One example they shared was partnering with Ice Cream Alley in Greenfield to offer local ice cream during the hot summer months.

The duo spent the last month working at Magic Wings to get to know staff better while learning how the business operates. If the sale proceeds, Miller said there will “certainly be a transition period” where he and his sister work alongside Tubbs and Sukys before finally stepping away to ensure things move “as smooth as possible.”

Magic Wings opened in late 2000 under the stewardship of co-owners George Miller Jr., who was originally involved in the project as a contractor to construct the building before joining the ownership group, and Alan Rulewich. Eventually, Miller III and Fiore joined in the effort and ran Magic Wings with their father for about 13 years before Miller Jr.’s death in 2017.

Miller III said his family has explored selling the butterfly conservatory since 2014 and became much more serious about selling it after the onset of the pandemic. At this point, he added, “it’s time to look toward other things, whatever they may be.”

If Tubbs and Sukys are able to succeed in purchasing Magic Wings, they will already have a sustainable business on hand. Miller said Magic Wings brought in about 100,000 visitors in 2024 and had another 102,000 in 2023, which were numbers they hadn’t actually seen since the “2010, 2011 period.”

“It’s further evidence that the world just wants to get out there and do stuff,” Miller said. “Certainly we’ve been able to capitalize on that. … We always like to say it’s a chance to visit the tropics without having to jump on a plane.”

Miller said the brother and sister from Michigan seem like they could be a great follow-up to the current brother and sister running Magic Wings and, if things go well, it’d be a nice passing of the torch for the region.

“The hope is to leave Magic Wings in great hands with people who not only bring the necessary energy to keep the living and breathing environment going on a day-to-day basis, but also who share our mission,” Miller said. “That’s what we’ve found so far. … It’s kind of fitting or apropos to be able to [talk about] the potential of turning this over to new ownership around the silver anniversary.”

Fundraising event

To help fund the down payment for Magic Wings, Tubbs and Sukys are hosting a fundraiser and networking event at the business on Saturday, March 29, at 5 p.m.

The event will provide folks an opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the potential owners’ vision for Magic Wings. Tickets are $50 and more information can be found at magicwingsma.com.

Tubbs and Sukys are also seeking investors. Those interested can contact Tubbs at victoriamagicwings@gmail.com.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.