Claire Reynolds | Love Joy Farm

Claire Reynolds

Love Joy Farm

Jonesboro, Clayton County

When Claire Reynolds prepares a bouquet, it’s done with care and intention. Each one is a small work of art filled with bursts of delphinium, zinnias, dahlias, and celosia, often arranged in a vase she’s handmade herself. Every bouquet is an opportunity to share love and joy with her customers. These are the flowers of Love Joy Farm, Claire’s small business built from her heart and her roots.

It felt natural when she began growing zinnias, her “gateway flower,” as her father was raised on a dairy farm, and her mother’s family once grew poppies in South Africa. Encouraged by friends and requests to teach workshops, Claire soon realized she had found her calling.

But running Love Joy Farm came with its own set of challenges. When we see a bouquet at a farmers market, we often don’t think about the time it takes not only to grow those flowers but also to prepare them for sale. “Fridays, the day before the farmers market, that’s a 12-hour day for me,” Claire explained. She would wake up early to harvest flowers before the summer heat set in, then spend hours arranging each bouquet under her carport workspace, which had no air conditioning. Once finished, she had to bring all the flowers inside to keep them cool overnight.

That’s when she applied for the Food Well Alliance Farm Forward Grant and an additional Special Project Labor Support stipend. With these funds, Claire was able to purchase and hire someone to install a walk-in cooler, fully enclose her workspace, and add an A/C system. “I can now harvest earlier in the week and save the flowers for the weekend, rather than doing it all on the same day.”

Thanks to the grant, Claire’s days became less about surviving the heat and more about crafting the bouquets she loves to make. She tapped into more Food Well resources, such as the Labor Stipend and Mechanical Assistance, which enabled her to grow more and receive help with maintaining her rows of flowers. “The support from Food Well Alliance has been transformational for the farm. From the free compost, to the plowing and tilling to the cooler grant, it has all moved my business forward and made me a much better farmer. In just one year of applying for all of the resources Food Well offers, I can see the results in just looking at the health of the flowers this year.”

Support has been key to helping Claire focus on what matters most. “Whenever I think farming really isn't sustainable for me to support myself, I remember all of the support coming from so many different places to help me keep going and to get better at it.. And I just have to have faith in that support and know farming is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing right now.”

You can find Claire’s flowers at the farmers markets in Oakhurst, Reynoldstown, and Virginia Highlands.