The love of gardening, pottery, and all things outdoor living started long before I realized. I grew up in Long Island, New York, where my parents had created a beautiful garden utopia. My mother had flower beds, fruit and vegetable gardens, potted flowers and plants everywhere. The indoor houseplants mirrored the abundance of the gardens outside. As a child, having a garden utopia was commonplace – so much so that when we went to other people’s homes, I would ask my mother, “Why don’t they have a garden like us?” She would always reply, “Not everyone likes to garden like us. It is a lot of work, but I love it, so it is not work to me.”
When I moved away, I truly realized how lucky I was to have grown up in such a charming and magical space. At 21, I started a really small garden. I made many phone calls to my master-gardener mom, asking the who, what, why, and whens of gardening.
The love of pottery came a few years later while traveling with my husband and children on a family vacation through Florida. We had pulled over for diaper duty and we saw the sign for wholesale pottery. My husband asked the owner if we could take a look, and that we had cash, and the owner said to come on in! Gorgeous Talavera, Spanish pottery, Florida pottery, Mediterranean tiles, sculptures, art – it was amazing.
On our way home, we talked for hours about how cool it would be to have a pottery store and a green house – it felt right, but it would just have to wait. Life happens, our kids grew up, and we got older. By chance, an opportunity arose and we took a leap of faith to open Blarney Stone Farms, and it still feels right! We have our shop, and hope to work towards a greenhouse in the future.
In January of 2022, our gardening and pottery store, Blarney Stone Farms, came to fruition. We chose the name Blarney Stone Farms as an ode to our Irish heritage! To give back to our community, we became an ASPCA and Blue Ridge Area Food Bank donation drop site. We also will hold classes and other small events in the back area of our store! We are a family owned and operated organic gardening store.
