HARPERS FERRY — Nestled off the side of West Virginia Route 230, Needwood Farm Flowers gives the world something much needed in a time of continued uncertainty: happiness as well as a chance to slow down and reconnect.
What started as a hobby for Heather Gibson has bloomed into something much deeper than just a pick-your-own flower cart, something both she and the community has needed in a COVID-19 world.
The journey began in 2019 when Gibson decided to start a flower cart, a break from her day job as a dentist.
“I guess it was last year, early spring, I’d see the idea. I’m like, ‘That’d be fun, something happy,’” she said.
With the help of her dad, the pair worked away at creating rows of flowers just at the end of the lane, the perfect place to showcase the colors and everything nature has to offer.
By the Fourth of July last year, Gibson was ready to open for the first time and locals were ready to enjoy her creation. She recalled three cars pulling in as she put out the open flag for the first time and the lovely notes left by neighbors who’d come to pick flowers, thanking her for providing the experience.
“It was totally different than my careers. It was a hobby people enjoy, and I like to see the process,” Gibson said, laughing that people aren’t always happy when they come to see her at the dentist.
It’s been the joy in the simple things that continues to see the bloom bar thrive, Gibson recently seeing a family come to pick flowers, the children armed with butterfly nets. It’s those little moments, the little thank yous that make it all worth it for Gibson, the chance to provide happiness to others even for just a moment.
“It’s very rewarding for me, especially this year. So many people don’t have as much space,” she explained, acknowledging the size of the flower rows. “That makes me happy (to see people able to get out and enjoy flowers).
“When I started this, I never thought we’d be in isolation. This year, it’s become so much more important for me to get out there.”
Both for her and others, the flowers provide the fun of the experience for customers and the needed break, a simple time outdoors for Gibson.
The journey of the flower cart has been a positive one for Gibson, too, someone who likes to see hard results.
“I tend to like good results,” she laughed, thinking back to the powerful storms that tore through Harpers Ferry and Shenandoah Junction in early July. “It looked like a tornado. It knocked everything over. ‘This stinks. It’s not worth it.’ But now, (the most knocked over row) is actually my best row at the point.”
The flowers have been a way for her to connect with her daughter and parents, everyone taking a small role in the business in some way. Her daughter will create Mason jars, open or close the cart, the little things that Gibson is happy to see her take part in, while her parents know a little more about the gardening side of things, Gibson jokingly calling them “armchair gardeners” as she thought back to planting earlier this year, before an unexpected late cold spell hit the area.
She remembered her dad driving by, yelling, “It’s too early.”
“He was right,” she laughed.
Between her father’s knowledge and her mother’s, who Gibson said is almost a Master Gardener, whenever she has a question, her parents are there with the answer. And sometimes, when there isn’t a question, they’re still there to help, setting out Junebug traps while Gibson tends to patients at the dental office.
“It’s been interesting to reconnect with them,” she said. “They like seeing people stop by as well.”
The flower cart operates on the honor system, a box to place $10 for a jar and flowers or a Paypal link to drop some money. Gibson said she’s often asked if anyone steals flowers, and to be honest, she couldn’t tell you. But as far as she can tell, patrons have been careful to pay mind to the box and the flowers.
“People are so respectful,” she said. “Usually there’s cans missing and money in the box.”
The cart is open every day from about 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., though Gibson thinks one of the best times is to come as the sun is setting and the fireflies are dancing around. More information can be found on Facebook at Needwood Farm Flowers. Gibson hopes to have pumpkins this fall if all works out right, and this Saturday, Moving Mountains Yoga will be hosting a class on the farm.
“To see people get so excited, it means a lot,” she said.
August 10, 2020 at 10:00AM
https://www.journal-news.net/journal-news/happy-place-needwood-farm-flowers-brings-positivity-in-an-uncertain-world/article_d07d75b9-533d-50b0-944f-a4e1f6059749.html
Happy place: Needwood Farm Flowers brings positivity in an uncertain world - Martinsburg Journal
https://news.google.com/search?q=Flower&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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