the gather story

Hi friends! 👋🏻 I’m Lisa, the farmer and flower girl here at GATHER. In 2014, I lost my mom suddenly and in 2022, lost my grandfather, my mother’s father. I am no stranger to profound grief. 

I’m also a mortician, yoga and movement instructor, and mom, and I have always loved flowers (but not stuffy funeral flowers - yuck!). I am obsessed with seasonal blooms not often seen outside of local markets: unusual dahlias, fragrant sweet peas, sunset-colored sunflowers, flowering tobacco, gorgeous poppies, along with medicinal flowers and herbs. Their whimsical nature to follow their own path inspires me. 

In my grief, it was important to me to find the beauty wherever I could. There is so much beauty in the natural world that I wanted to grow and share it with others. I wanted to meet others like me who live consciously and practice the sacred act of self-care. I envisioned a community brought together by flowers: at the dinner table with a fresh market bouquet, at a celebration where stunning blooms fill the room, at a self-care event with a take-home bouquet, even where sadness and grief mingle to commemorate a life well lived. 

To farm means to let go of predictability and work within the small moments of each season, quite similarly to grief. It means to lovingly grow by hand that which is typically imported and to acknowledge that beauty can be both soulful and sustainable. Each flower from GATHER is grown to connect us all. 

We are proudly queer- and woman-owned and proud to be a part of the local Travelers Rest community, where neighbors and business owners progressively stand up for the marginalized and underrepresented. 

I’m so happy that you’re here to be a part of the journey! 😊 To share this with you is a dream come true.