Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Blackton.
Hi Michelle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Auntie M’s Garden Goods LLC was born out of a desire to ensure everyone can afford things that bring them joy in their homes. There’s something magical about having flowers, fresh fruits/veggies, or art made by and picked by the hands of another.
I started doing ceramics in 2020. I’ve always been an artistic person and connected to the arts, but the physical arts like painting and drawing were never something I excelled at. When I put my hands on the clay, something clicked. There’s something grounding, centering, and meditative about working with clay. I love to make pieces that are functional, affordable, and able to fit into daily use.
I had always wanted to flower farm, but thought it was a crazy idea. I finally decided to go for it and start with garden starters my first year. Growing flowers and garden starters has been amazing and offering these items at affordable prices at the Historic Downtown Liberty Farmer’s Market has been an absolute delight.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I had started my business in February of 2023 with the intention of selling plant starters at a farmer’s market over the summer. 2023 ended up being filled with loss of all kinds, and that year was practically non-existent to us. Luckily my husband encouraged me to keep researching, keep growing, and continue to push forward for 2024 to be a really successful year. We’ve had a great year and a half of figuring out what I want my business to be, how to be more efficient, and how to balance everything all at once.
I have my hands full and several jobs/joys in my life that all take focus and time. I, of course, have my business: Auntie M’s Garden Goods, work a full time job, I teach at least one class every week at Driftwood Ceramics, and farm 20 acres, which is a monumental task.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We’re best known for our high-quality, seasonal blooms and eco-conscious products. Our floral operation, which supplies stems to local florists and designers as well as our Farmer’s Market customers, is built on succession planting, thoughtful irrigation design, and future-facing infrastructure like solar-powered watering systems.
At Auntie M’s Garden Goods, we’re cultivating more than just flowers — we’re growing a regenerative, women-owned agricultural business rooted in creativity, sustainability, and community. My business is built around three core branches currently:
– Cultivating plants — from seasonal cut flowers to fruits, vegetables, and hardy plant starters;
– Creating and teaching ceramics — durable, usable pieces made to bring beauty into everyday life; and
– Handmade soaps — especially my signature luffa soap, made with luffa I grow myself on our farm near Smithville, MO.
While I wear many hats — grower, artist, educator — what connects everything I do is a love of people and their stories. I see myself as a collector of stories, and it’s that relationship-first mindset that informs both my business and my art. Whether I’m harvesting sunflowers for a florist, crafting a vase with a heavier bottom for someone who loves big, unruly bouquets, or teaching a ceramics class in the most inclusive and welcoming studio I know, every decision I make takes in to consideration the connections I’m making with others and how I impact them.
What sets Auntie M’s apart isn’t just the products we offer, but the intention behind them. My ceramics are made to be held, used, and loved. They’re sturdy enough for daily life, and affordable enough to be accessible. My flowers are grown for joy and rooted in good stewardship of the land, and again, designed to be affordable for any home. My soaps invite a moment of beauty and care in an otherwise ordinary day.
I’m incredibly proud that I get to do all of this: to grow, to create, to teach, and to build something meaningful, one story and one season at a time.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We can be found at the Historic Downtown Liberty Farmer’s Market every Saturday from May-October from 8am to Noon. We also have a small selection of items at Basement Books KC in Downtown Historic Liberty. You can interact with us on instagram, facebook, and our online store.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auntiemsgardengoods/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Auntie-Ms-Garden-Goods-100091408891363/
Online store: https://auntie-ms-garden-goods-llc.square.site/
Contact Info:
- Website: https://auntie-ms-garden-goods-llc.square.site/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auntiemsgardengoods/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Auntie-Ms-Garden-Goods-100091408891363/
