After getting laid off from her corporate job and losing her mother, Sheri Tonioli-Gross wanted a new direction in life.

So three years ago, the Montgomery County resident turned to flower farming. She owns a business called Flowers by Red Barn Farm, which provides flowers such as mixed bouquets and dahlias.

“My cousin is a flower farmer in Colorado,” Tonioli-Gross said. “She asked me if I thought about doing this. I told her no. It was not something I ever considered. At that point, I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to come visit you.’ I went to visit her and I ended up coming back. I loved it. I was out there a week helping her. I ordered like 2,000 tulip bulbs and I said I’m doing it. I kind of jumped in with both feet.”

Tonioli-Gross displayed her business at the final Homestead Market of 2024 on the evening of Sept. 27. Located at the corner of Highways K and 19 in Big Spring, the Homestead Market is held every fourth Saturday of the month from April to September. The market was held in the evening hours for the first time on Sept. 27.

Rhineland native Nicole Hart, also known as the Junk Love Girl, runs the Homestead Market, which has all kinds of vendors who sell handmade products, meats from animals, fresh eggs, baked goods and sourdough. There were 15 vendors in the final market of the year.

“We can’t really hold a ton here, so this is the perfect amount,” Hart said. “There’s a big variety for people to come and shop. Everybody seems to love it. It’s fun for the community.”

Ferrell Farms, Royal Bee Apiary, Chic Creations, Varsity Ink, Wild Child Leather, Norma Jean’s Handmade Goods, Hoof & Feather, Handmade Soaps & Arts, Guilt Free Goodies and Treats were among the other vendors at the market.

Tonioli-Gross said she always enjoys doing her business at the Homestead Market.

“I love it,” she said. “Nicole and I do a lot of things. In the springtime, we would do a pop-up with tulips and things here.”

Abbey Timmerberg, a Hermann native and a Montgomery County resident, has displayed her Guilt Free Goodies business at the Homestead Market for the last two years.

“I’m a nutritionist,” Timmerberg said. “My degree is in exercise science. Eighteen years ago, I developed a concept of Guilt Free Goodies based upon the fact that I like and enjoy the sweet treats, but I don’t like the guilt that comes with it. So I created product lines of sweets and carbs that your body can digest naturally by using whole products with no salts and no oils and half the amount of sugar.”

Renee Miller is the owner of Handmade Soaps & Arts. She said she likes selling soap that is natural and handmade.

“I practiced (making soap) at home and made a lot for my family at first,” said Miller, who has been painting since 2017. “Then, whenever I felt like I had a really good product that I loved, I started selling it. I really enjoy art and making soap.”

Farrell Farms, which is based in Montgomery County, sells witch brooms. Owner Robin Farrell said she got interested in witch brooms after taking a class at the Show-Me Gourd Society.

“There’s a lot of prepwork because you have to throw the broom corn into the garden, then you have to cut it down to hang it up to dry,” said Farrell, who has been a county resident since 2005. “Then, you have to take all of the seeds of it. Then, you have to find a stick and you have to prep that.”
Tonioli-Gross runs her business at her childhood farm, which is 60 acres and has been part of her family since the 1960s. She said her business has brought her joy and happiness.

“I will say I don’t think I ever worked harder. I was in corporate America and did quite a bit,” Tonioli-Gross said. “I never worked harder, but I never felt more fulfilled.”