sweat, tears, steady progress
can we take a moment in order to fill you in about how we ended up here? when i formally organized all of my studies/knowledge and launched vauxhall gardens in 2008, i was focused 💯 on maximizing fresh plant chemistry for use in topical preparations by utilizing a vertically integrated business model. history had told me time and time again of the remarkable attributes plants gift the skin and, i reasoned, capturing active chemistry would only support and elevate the functionality of the body's largest organ. my motto then, as it is today, use the freshest and purest ingredients. fast-forward to today where the feedback and results observed over *almost* two decades of selling thousands upon thousands of our now legacy topical products prove that we don't have to live with the empty, false platitudes that the beauty biz falsely claim.
looking back, as i worked my stall at farmers markets for 13 years in the "big city" and built a community, it was so easy to spread the gospel according to vauxhall with these great platforms and i cannot tell you the number of meaningful conversations i've had over the years. the farmers market demographic is already interested in small supply chains and consuming products that support ontario agriculture. with our spark of innovation and our pledge to provide the best-in-class made some universal conclusions were drawn. there are no finer ingredients than ours. full stop. there are no formulations better than ours. full stop. and, full disclosure, there are no better supporters than ours. full stop.
in 2020, i ventured away from farmers markets and streamlined the production cycle to maximize ingredient quality and freed up time to contemplate the here and now. from the field where our botanicals are grown .... and then processed ... and then manufactured ... is less than 100 feet. beginning with a farmstand in the summer of 2020, the retailing of my products was now also contained within the 100' (instead of the soul-crushing commute 3 times a week to farmers markets). immediately i began to see significant differences in my radically different new life. my growing fields flourished with the additional attention rerouted from time spent away from the farm. i worked on my website and started a newsletter. i met a whole slew of locals who warmed to the idea of 'farm-to-face'. then, slowly, i began to turn my focus to a derelict outbuilding, a crumbling eyesore, a haunted remain of dreams gone awry, which everyone emphatically said 'tear down'. defying this sage advice, a renovations began resulted in a multi-year distraction which would ultimately suck more life, money and resources than i could ever have dreamed.
with still lots of items to complete, i was able to open the farmstore in the autumn of 2023 for a full calendar season, september-december. in 2024, the farmstore still not 100% complete, we opened once again but this time starting in june and staying open until mid-december. i'm happy to say that the farmstore was 100% completed by the end of the 2024 season!!! what a finish line! pulling together the pictures here i just have no idea what or how or why i was able to push through and build out this space which is so, so, soooo out of my comfort zone. i'm an old school plant nerd yet here i am with retail space and a new way to share the knowledge/wisdom/benefits by showcasing the very finest expressions of plant chemistry.
a big thank you to all who moseyed on by and had a gander at the farmstore. in 2024, we not only stayed open for a greater length of time but we were able to do live demonstrations of the 5 steps for healthy and natural skin care. i have now organized the website to reflect these 5 steps and it has become the greatest, over-arcing truth that i want to spread as far and wide as i can. the ancient plant narratives i listened to, the science and technology required to make it cutting edge and the passion to share this knowledge has made the whole journey as challenging as it is satisfying.
without further adeiu, may i present to you the unabridged, the unfiltered evolution of the now-fabulous global headquarters for vauxhall gardens
how it started ...
how it's going ...
my greatest thanks to everyone who supports our farm
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x: @farmtoface ig: @vauxhallgardensgrimsby
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skin hair wellness
keywords: farmstore, skin, topicals, retail
