We have MOVED. We’ve gone country, kind of, moving to the 115 person town of Hood in the southernmost portion of Madison County, up against the Greene County line. Yes, that’s right ladies, gentleman and non-binary folk, we are now, officially, from the Hood.
While we do feel we’ve escaped the traffic, noise and HOA’s of Northern Virginia, we are just a quick jump up or down route 29 to so many of our regular venues like Great Marsh, Airlie, Stonewall, Piedmont Club, Black Horse Inn, Whitehall, Rose Hill….well, you get the idea. AND Early Mountain, Pippin Hill and the Market at Grelen with all of its amazing event venues are local to our new studio. Local. To some of the most beautiful properties and vineyards Virginia has to offer. It’s still a dream!
It seems counterintuitive to be grateful during this pandemic crisis - let me rephrase that - counterintuitive to be grateful for the pause while the country resets, but it has allowed this move to happen. We’ve been looking for a property with some acreage for a stand alone studio and gardens, for nigh on 4 years. Our HOA in Gainesville was sympathetic to my desire to rip out the front lawn and plant pumpkins and woodies, but not so accommodating when it came down to it. (Which of course I understand, who wants the crazy flower lady living next door when your home is a stately brick mc mansion? No judgement intended on the mc mansion part - it’s an immediate visual pic of the neighborhood, that’s all). It was late April when my real estate app dinged and alerted me to a potential property, and off we went, to scout.
Before I could turn around and count the raised beds, we were Under Contract and now had a house to sell. In the middle of a pandemic!! My amazing bff and realtor, Pamela Gillin of RE/MAX Gateway (big shout out, hands in the air), handled most of the details while we furiously worked to make our Gainesville house and garden shine. It did, and went under contract in 12 hours flat. (I do, after all, have a great eye for design!). This is now the middle of May. Pack a house and floral studio, close on a new house and studio, clean and update the new house and studio, while keeping all the seedlings started in February alive until they can get in the new garden, and run a business while being recruited to help with florals at the Inn at Little Washington too — when I tell you it’s been a busy summer and I need a major vacation…..gurrrrl, I am not kidding! It’s rather impressive I still know which way is up.
Here we are, mid-August, with a fall schedule of weddings that I am itching to get to. When you have new design space and garden you want to get to it asap and design your little heart out. There are still projects to be completed, still finishing touches to be added, but overall we’re in our new space and loving living with our view of the Blue Ridge. Life is good in the land of farm markets and vineyards, trees and rivers. Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are still 25 minutes away, as they were for us in Gainesville, but now the ride is through rolling farmland with big sky. Love living in the Hood.
Stay tuned to this blog to see more photos of how the floral studio develops as we go along - and more photos of all the rentals we have available now that we have space to store them.
Wishing you health and happiness with an armload of flowers!