By Jamie Larson Tiny Hearts Farm’s new flower studio and showroom in Hillsdale, New York will be all local, totally seasonal and exceedingly beautiful. Hosting an open house Saturday, May 5, the couple behind Tiny Hearts, Jenny Elliott and Luke Franco, are excited to share their unique approach towards flower cultivation and arrangement out of their handsome little storefront at 2643 State Route 23 in this increasingly happening town. Live music, floral beverages, events including a demo on creating hand-tied bouquets, and fresh-cut flowers for sale will make for a welcoming grand opening. “The shop is exclusively seasonal and what grows in our area… well, our farm specifically,” said Elliott, who grew up gardening in California. “That’s what makes our arrangements feel really alive and vibrant. The designs have a spontaneous feel.”

A part of the 120-acre Copake Agricultural Center, Tiny Hearts uses organic practices with the farm's diverse crop. That output, along with foraged items, combine with a design philosophy that lets the flowers guide the arrangement, rather than the other way around. “I think people have gotten so accustomed to getting things out of season," Franco said. "Some of those flowers are from thousands of miles away. But there’s really gorgeous stuff available here and we can reconnect with that. We are not certified but we use all organic practices, which people don’t think about with flowers." Though they’re getting ready to expand from 11 acres to 25, Franco said they started the business on a whim on a single acre in Westchester County, New York, in 2011. Elliot went to school for classical guitar and Franco for jazz guitar, so flower farming became their choice when deciding on a day job. They still preform around the region from time to time. Elliot was the visionary, her husband said from the seat of a slowly rolling tractor, his son George (nearly 2) between his knees. After three years in Westchester, they moved up here just for this Agricultural Center plan, jumping in with two other farms, Morningstar and Sparrow Arc.

The new shop will be perfect, Ellliot and Franco say, for expressing the Tiny Hearts design philosophy. Along with bouquets available for pickup, the shop also offers a selection of CSA options that keep you in flowers all summer long. The Summer Bouquet Share ($170), for example, gives you 10 weeks of unique arrangements from July 4 to Labor Day. The showroom and studio also provide wholesale services to florists and markets. Full wedding and event services include consulting, design, delivery and setup. There's also a la carte arrangements for pickup in the shop or at the farm, and DIY buckets for those who want to create their own arrangements.

Local interior designer, owner of the Hillsdale General Store and all-around community investor Matthew White bought the little building that’s now the flower shop. But when it was discovered to have unsalvageable structural issues, he had it rebuilt from scratch to the original specifications. “You plant a seed and the seed grows,” Franco said, standing in their field. Despite the chaos of the first harvest, kids, and opening a new store, Elliott and Franco are surprisingly chill. Their warm and friendly attitude is infectious and radiates through their farm, shop and flowers. Their investment of time and thoughtful care is about to reach full bloom. Tiny Hearts Farm Open House: Saturday, May 5 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 2643 State Rt. 23, Hillsdale, NY

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Jamie Larson
Jamie Larson