Getting ready to reopen a self-serve farm stand for a new season involves dozens of small improvements, careful planning, merchandising decisions, garden preparation, signage upgrades, and lessons learned from the previous year.

As we prepare for our second season at our little white farm stand in Virginia, I’m making a number of changes based on everything we learned during year one — all with the goal of creating a better shopping experience for customers while improving how the stand functions behind the scenes.

If you’ve ever wondered whether handmade soap actually sells well at a farm stand, the answer from our experience is yes — very well.

At our farm stand and farmers market here in Afton, handmade soap has become one of those products people come back for again and again. It’s one of our most consistent sellers, and over time I’ve learned that customers really do appreciate a simple, beautiful bar made with quality ingredients and a real story behind it.

Recently I cut three fresh logs of soap for the upcoming season, and while doing that, I found myself reflecting on why soap has become such an important part of what we offer.

If you're planning a farm stand, already running one, or simply curious what people actually buy at a self-serve roadside farm stand in Virginia, I thought it would be helpful to share what truly sold best for us during our first full season.

My lard soap is nourishing, simple, sustainable, and time-tested- everything a real bar of soap should be