Gearing Up And Building Our Farmers Market Setup
There’s a moment when dreams start taking physical form that feels almost magical. For me, it happened standing in front of a small white table in my dining room, looking at baskets beginning to fill with lavender products, and realizing – this is actually happening.
Outgrowing the Nest
What started as a few lavender bundles on a side table has transformed into an entire operation taking over my dining room. Baskets, trays, and bins all holding pieces waiting for market day. The antique buffet behind them? Temporary storage central.
Looking at this beautiful chaos, I realized something important: I’ve outgrown this little table, and I need a dedicated space. My actual studio space – currently serving as a forgotten storage area – needs to be reclaimed. This isn’t a problem; it’s a milestone. It means Green Roof Lavender is growing. (It also means I need to go through all those storage boxes stowed away in my studio- ug!)
The Brand Comes to Life
Nothing quite prepares you for seeing your logo embroidered on a shirt for the first time. Those lavender fields in blue and green thread, our farmhouse nestled among them – suddenly Green Roof Lavender wasn’t just an idea anymore. It was real, and I may have done a little happy dance when I opened that package. (Oh, I’ll admit it… I did.) If you look under that table, you can see our branded hats. Excitement over baseball-style caps- yep.
Building Our Market Presence
The Amazon truck has become a familiar sight lately:
- Our 10×10 tent arrived (green- for “Green Roof”- of course)
- Folding tables that will become our market display
- Our logo on a vinyl banner made everything feel official
And those wicker baskets? I’ve been saving them for years, always knowing in the back of my mind that someday… someday I’d fill them with something special. Seeing them now, brimming with lavender bundles and handmade products, feels like a conversation with my past self: “Yes, we did it.”
DIY Photo Studio Magic
With two studio lights and a small desk transformed into a photo area, I’ve been capturing each product for our website. It’s amazing what good lighting and a white backdrop can do. Every photo session feels like I’m introducing these products to the world.
The Transformation
I can feel it – this chrysalis forming around me. (Or is it a cocoon? Am I becoming a moth or a butterfly? Maybe that’s still to be determined!) My mindset is transforming from someone who grows lavender to someone who shares lavender. From gardener to entrepreneur. From dreamer to doer.
But let me be honest: while the front-facing parts are thrilling – the products, the branding, the visual elements – there’s still a wilderness of backend business details ahead. Permits, taxes, bookkeeping, inventory systems… the essential parts of making this real.
It’s Not About Selling
Here’s what surprises me most… I’m not excited about selling. I’m excited about sharing.
This lavender that I’ve grown from tiny plants, cut on summer mornings, hung to dry in my barn, cooked with in my kitchen, arranged into bundles with my own hands, twisted into lavender wands – it’s ready to become part of other people’s stories. Maybe someone will use our culinary lavender in their first attempt at lavender lemonade. Maybe our lavender bundles will rest on the corner of a hectic desk, offering calm whispers between meetings. Maybe our goat’s milk soap will wash away the day’s soil from the hands of a fellow gardener while sharing the scent of summer fields.
That’s not selling. That’s sharing a piece of our farm, our life, our passion.
The Journey Continues
As I look at this table overflowing with products, at boxes stacked underneath, at branded shirts hanging nearby, I’m reminded that this is just the beginning. The chrysalis is still forming. The transformation isn’t complete.
But oh, what a beautiful, exciting beginning it is.
Next up: Our first farmers’ market! Stay tuned as we take Green Roof Lavender from the dining room table to the market table. The adventure continues…