Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Lipscomb.
Hi Kelly, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In December of 2020 my husband and I were ready to leave HOAs behind and started to look for land where we could let our daughters roam and explore freely, own and raise animals, and build our dream home. After searching for 2 years, we finally found the property that checked all of our boxes in Louisburg, KS. By 2024, the house was complete and we could finally move in and start fulfilling our dreams of collecting fresh chicken eggs each day, harvesting food from our small garden, and watching wildlife pass through our backyard.
Like many others during Covid times, I got into making sourdough and was starting to bake more consistent loaves and wanted to find a way to get it into the hands of people in my community. As a stay at home mama who also homeschools, going to a market each weekend wasn’t an option so I started to think more about opening a self-serve farm stand at the end of our driveway. Our baby was at a good age where I could start doing a little bit more and I felt ready to take on a new adventure. After searching for a few months for that perfect farm stand, we finally found something being sold not too far from where we lived. After getting it in place and cleaned up, we were finally ready to open this past February.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The farm stand had been a dream of mine for a few years but after finding out we were pregnant with our fourth baby girl right after moving into our new home, I knew I would have to wait on that project until she was older and I was able to get into a better routine. It worked out though because I got to spend precious time with the baby and enjoy the newborn stage one last time and not have to worry about keeping up with a farm stand. I knew the right time would come.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
There are so many amazing farm stands in the area but I think what sets us apart from others is that my baked goods are all sourdough based. I also utilize only high quality ingredients in our baked goods— eggs straight from our own chickens, grass fed butter, dye free sprinkles, organic flour and sugar. Our home and health items are all nontoxic and also use quality ingredients without additives.
I believe in serving quality goods to our community. If I wouldn’t use it or serve it to my own kids, it won’t be in the farm stand.
With the season of life we are in right now, we are only open once or twice a month. Our community still shows up for us and it has been so fun to see the excitement and hear all of the positive feedback on our goods. We’ve met so many people in our community that we otherwise may not have had the chance of meeting. It’s been a lot of fun!
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Start small. You don’t have to have a huge walk in stand with ac/heat. A little shelf on your porch is a perfect place to start. You also don’t have to overwhelm yourself with trying to stock it full of items. Find a few things you are really good at and serve those first. It’s hard to know how many people are going to show up on your first few openings so start small or have a plan in place for baked goods that don’t sell. Set a schedule that works for you and your family and don’t try to over do it.
Pricing:
- Bread starts at $10
- Baked goods start at $3 and up
- Home items start at $8 and up
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://Www.instagram.com/greenrootsfarmstead
- Facebook: https://Www.facebook.com/thefarmstandatgreenroots
