About Us

Making it easy to learn the art of bonsai

Meet Tim.

He’s obsessed with tiny trees.

At our heart, we’re a family-owned and operated company. We lead with this because, well, our family now includes you—welcome to the wonderful world of Bonsai Bar!

In 2021, as small breweries reopened, Tim launched Bonsai Bar—a solo project blending his day job as a programmer with a newfound obsession: bonsai. By night, he drove to breweries, leading workshops on crafting tiny trees.

As demand grew, Tim enlisted his brothers, realizing attendees craved more than trees—they sought connection, new skills, and the joy of pairing creativity with local brews.

Nature is healing. Nature is powerful.

Nature is… tiny trees in a bar?

Bonsai Bar was founded with a simple yet powerful vision: to combine the calming, creative process of bonsai cultivation with a fun, educational experience that brings people together across generations.

Welcome to Bonsai Bar. Let’s grow something extraordinary together.

Some stuff we’re proud of

We offer workshops in 12 states and 16 markets, but we’re still a small business at heart. Our team juggles business operations by day and then we head out to teach workshops in the evenings. It’s a team effort fueled by passion and a commitment to sharing the art of bonsai and making sure our guests have a joy filled experience.

Our mission involves hauling vanfuls (yes, that’s a unit of measurement now) of tiny trees across the country, lovingly caring for them in backyard greenhouses and nurseries until it’s time for Shrub Norris, Notorious B. I. Tree, Mini Groot, Sir Bonsai-a-Lot, or Bonsaizilla to find their forever homes with you. Our mission is to share with you the calming, creative process of bonsai cultivation with a FUN and educational experience. We hope you have a wonderful new hobby.

Bonsai Bar is a fantastic corporate retreat and team-building experience. Nothing brings a team together like turning tiny trees into masterpieces—or engaging in a spirited debate over the “right” way to prune a ficus while armed with small, sharp tools. It’s collaborative, therapeutic, and just the right amount of wholesome and quirky. We'd love to do a workshop for your team.

Hosting our classes in these spaces helps small American businesses thrive on slower nights. Plus, we’re all about creating an atmosphere where people can sip, prune, and bond with friends, family, or that random guy named Dave who just really likes bonsai.

If you put all the bonsai stock end to end, that's approximately:

  • 150,000 Subway Sandwiches
  • 7,500 King-Sized Beds
  • 375,000 Donuts
  • 6 Million Post-It Notes

Or enough Legos to cover 25 Million brick-sized regrets.

We're told, so we're willing to believe it, that Bonsai Bar has taught the most beginner bonsai workshops in the world. If we're mistaken, please let us know. In the meantime, our marketing folks have called the Guinness World Records people to fact check that.

Meet our team

Tim Arsenault

Founder, CEO, Bonsai Bar Instructor
Homebase: Rhode Island

Matt Arsenault

CTO, Webmaster, General Tech & Support, Bonsai Bar Instructor
Homebase: New Hampshire

Ben Ainsworth

Director of Operations, Plant Scientist, Bonsai Bar Instructor
Homebase: Rhode Island

Josh Allen-Silvia

Bonsai Bar Director of Horticulture, Ceramicist, Bonsai Bar Instructor
Homebase: Connecticut

Josh on Instagram

Steven Evans

North East Regional Director, Venue Coordinator, Bonsai Bar Instructor
Homebase: Massachusetts

Jessi Jaramillo

Bonsai Bar Instructor
Homebase: New Hampshire

Tori Rose Weaver

Brand Manager, Bonsai Barbie
Homebase: Rhode Island

Bonsai Barbie Instagram
Ben Kegel

Ben Kegel

California Regional Director, Venue Coordinator, Bonsai Bar Instructor
Homebase: S. California

Caitlin Jewell

Chief Marketing Officer
Homebase: N. California

Izzi moore

NYC Regional Director, Private Events Coordinator, Bonsai Bar Instructor
Homebase: New York

Mark Bamber

Chief Financial Officer
Homebase: New York

Bonsai Bamber
Ben Arsenault

Ben Arsenault

Regional Director, Bonsai Bar Instructor
Homebase: New Hampshire
Coming soon: Denver!

get your hands dirty,
Join our team

If you’re passionate about bonsai and bringing joy to others, and you excel at commanding a room while carefully handling delicate plants and ceramic pots, we’d love to meet you.