I have big news! 2026 will be the final year for The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair. I’ll explain why, but first, how I got here.

For many who’ve visited the show over the years, there’s a warmth of spirit that’s felt when you’re there. It’s something I hear a lot. I feel it too. It’s something I’m unable to describe in terms that make sense because from the outside looking in, it’s just an event!

I’ve always thought of myself as an unlikely business person because I never went to college and I never had financial wealth. I was born in a dirt floor shack, grew up in a house-truck and eventually a tiny home in the woods. We had not much, but just enough. Instead of going to college, I moved to Alaska the day after I graduated from high school and lived and worked there for seven years, slowly building my future life. Sprinkled throughout, were little businesses I created – selling mud pies as a child and later as a young adult, selling gift baskets by word of mouth in my little village of Barrow, Alaska. Reflecting on all of this, I realize my story is the “American Dream” we, as Americans, have been told about all our lives. I didn’t have financial fortune but I always had dreams and those dreams are what made me an entrepreneur.

1970 me with my parents at the flea market

My idea for The Farm Chicks Fair began after a series of events when Colin was a volunteer firefighter. One of the firefighters at his station was diagnosed with cancer and I started thinking about how we could help. I figured that he was going to be facing huge medical costs and came up with an idea to organize a rummage sale to raise funds. Over several weeks, neighbors donated truckloads of items to a semi we brought in and parked at fire station 44 on Newport Highway in Mead. One of the firefighters from Colin’s station showed up one day with a truckload of neat old things to donate to the rummage sale. I commented on how great everything was and he mentioned that he had an old cabin on his property full of much more and invited me to come out sometime to see if there was anything I wanted.

The rummage sale was a huge success and we raised thousands of dollar for the cause. Inspired by the sale’s success, I came up with an idea to make it an annual event that would raise money to create a fund for firefighters in times of need. For many months I talked with the fire department about my idea but could never convince them and eventually, I gave up.

I ended up going to check out the cabin with all the old things I had been told about and they let me gather what I wanted. Another firefighter had an old barn on their property and invited me to dig through it. We made a trade for some things I had that his wife wanted from my house, for what I wanted from their barn. Word got out and soon I was popping all over to old farms and barns I was invited to explore, along with a friend I had invited to join me. As we were collecting these old things, I was making friends with the farmers and getting to know their families. I could remember where I got each thing I collected and the story behind it, and there were many! I was rich in experience, inspired by their stories, and itching to start something from all of this. I would create an event! I already had some experience from the rummage sale!

We began gathering things with this in mind and slowly built up our stash. In 2002, we held our first sale in my neighbor’s barn over the hill from my house on Peone Prairie in Mead. A few other neighbors joined us, selling more antiques, honey, and handmade Adirondack chairs. I had met a reporter while volunteering on a committee for the Mead school district so I reached out to her about the sale and she wrote an article about it in the Spokesman Review. Hundreds of people lined up that morning for the sale and it was a big success! The sale became a “show” (it seemed more descriptive of its size) and grew and grew, hopscotching locations until finally settling at the fairgrounds in Spokane. Throughout this time of growth, I was meeting more people, visiting more farms, and making deep connections with my community. As an entrepreneur, all of this FED MY CREATIVITY through my connections and experiences and I was INSPIRED. I was plowing all this energy and inspiration into The Farm Chicks and building on my dreams.

One of my favorite entry installations with real flowers installed by my friend Amanda @houseoffound

I frosted and hand-piped all of the cakes for this entry installation, a few years after going to cooking school

I tell you this backstory because it’s what has swirled and whizzed and danced about in how I built this all. I have loved it, cherished it, and made it an extension of me. I think that’s maybe why it’s something that can be felt when you walk through those doors.

That’s how I got here, now back to my news! The last show.

I’ve created something I love with all my heart and am so proud of. For no reason I can point to other than it just feels like time, I’m ready to move on to whatever lies ahead. I close this chapter at a high point, filled with contentment. I don’t rule out future creative endeavors for me or The Farm Chicks, whatever that may be.

Now on to this year’s show! I’m happily at work on this grand finale and all the special details. You can find logistical information here. There’s buzz behind the scenes about this year’s stashes the Curators are bringing in and there are even some longtime (previously retired from Farm Chicks) Curators who’ll be coming back for one last special time! What a grand finale it will be!

My hope is that after all is said and done, and we look back on these 24 years, we’ll all be inspired by what we’ve experienced together.

Love, me