Community Highlights: Meet Nicole Fischer-Mullins of Whim-Wham Art Farm

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Fischer-Mullins.

Hi Nicole, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We started gardening and growing vegetables on our property years ago. We started with the usual – some tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers – and that quickly jumped into raspberries, blueberries, and various other fruits. We added perennials and cut flowers each season to attract pollinators. Things morphed quickly, and we added chickens to the mix. We needed a source of organic fertilizer, and adding chickens gave us an instant supply of manure for our compost. We also benefited from the eggs and how the hens helped to reduce the bug population. Organic farming is all about variety and balance.

Our hard work quickly pushed us into farm mode. We revitalized our family brand, and Whim-Wham Art Farm was born — because we often say that farming is an art, and we are so much more than a traditional farm. Just like that, we were accidentally intentional farmhers. Yes, that’s farmer with an h to focus on the fact that we are women in the farming space. We are a 100% women-owned farm, which, according to the USDA, is representative of about 9% of farms. Many farms have women in decision-making roles, but to be fully owned and operated by women is still a small percentage of farms nationwide.

Every year we grow something new on the farm. A fruit, vegetable, or flower that is typically something we haven’t tried before. Some of our favorites we added to the mix are kiwi, roselle hibiscus, and so many different flowers that it is hard to pick a favorite. We have pivoted through the years to make the farm as efficient as possible, and our core crops are now flowers, fruits, greens, and roots, with cut flowers being our main crop.

Flowers led us quickly into the farmer-florist space. We now sell thousands of stems of flowers each month to local flower shops and independent floral designers. We even grow, harvest, design, and set up flowers for weddings and events. We like to think of it as a seed-to-celebration model. Many people look to support local businesses when planning their celebrations. Selecting a local farm to grow your flowers ensures that year after year, the flowers you celebrate with are in bloom during that same time each year. It becomes part of the story, making the memories of the celebration even more meaningful. We know there is something special about flowers that are grown locally and harvested from our farm. We think that’s something worth celebrating. We recently added a flower truck to our business model, making it possible to bring the farm experience directly to our clients and special events.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Some of the challenges of farming are that it is pure trial and error. It wouldn’t be called growing if everything was guaranteed, and nothing is guaranteed to work out as you plan it. We can build the richest soil, plant the strongest seeds or crops, and get nothing in return. Whether it is a vole, chipmunk, bug, or crazy weather, we are at the whim of it all

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Whim-Wham Art Farm?
We are a women-owned farm in Canton, Georgia. We grow and produce beyond organically on our farm, with our largest crop being cut flowers. We specialize in farming flowers that are different than what you get at the grocery store or standard florist. We work to grow flowers that make people ask, “What is that flower?”

We started out sharing goods from our farm over a decade ago at the Canton Farmers Market in downtown Canton, and we are still there Saturday mornings during the summer market season. That market community has been at the heart of our business from the very beginning, and we are proud to still be a part of it.

We are more than just a flower farm — we are farmer florists. We grow, harvest, design, and deliver flowers for weddings and events, and we wholesale thousands of stems each month to local flower shops and independent floral designers. We call it our seed-to-celebration model. We also offer flower subscriptions for customers who want a regular dose of fresh, locally grown blooms delivered to them or available for farm pickup. And if you are looking for something truly special, our flower truck is available for bloom bars and special events — bringing the farm experience directly to you.

We are most proud of how we have built our business. We started from the beginning and put in the work. We didn’t copy what others were doing — we did what worked for our farm and focused on what works for our business. We don’t cut corners, even when things would be faster or less expensive. Everything we do is focused on delivering quality goods to our customers.

Beyond flowers, we have a full line of non-perishable goods — soaps, salves, jams, jellies, and embroidered towels — that are sold at the market and in several businesses around the Atlanta area.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is when people tell us about their farm experience. How our flowers added to their wedding memories, or how their friends and family celebrate their life moments with something from our farm. Knowing we were able to enrich moments and add to the experience because of our farm is what true success means for us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://whimwhamartfarm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whimwhamartfarm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whimwhamartfarm