Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Interview with Serena Thompson of The Farm Chicks and My Favorite Find

at by

I met Serena Thompson of The Farm Chicks last year at the Where Women Cook launch in NYC. Let me tell you, she is as sweet as can be, a lovely person. Serena is a successful entrepreneur who has inspired so many of us. (Do I need to say how much I would love to go to The Farm Chicks show? And how jealous I am of all those vintage lovers who live in her neck of the woods?) On Monday, Serena is launching her new venture called My Favorite Find. I had a chance to interview Serena about My Favorite Find, The Farm Chicks and starting a business.

Hi Serena, I met you last year at The Where Women Cook launch in NYC.

Serena: That was great fun!

Congratulations on your new venture!

Serena: Thank you so much!

What is My Favorite Find?

Serena: My Favorite Find is a virtual show-and-tell. You can search for great shoppes and events like yard sales, antique shows, craft retreats and more, anywhere in the world, then show-and-tell your finds.

How did the idea for this new venture come about?

Serena: I was getting a lot of mail from readers all over the world, wanting to know how they could find great shoppes and events in their area and from others wanting to know how how they could promote their shoppes and events. I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a place for these two worlds to connect, so I decided to create it myself.

You are an entrepreneur. When you started The Farm Chicks, did you already have a Big Plan in mind? Or did it grow in a way you never could imagine?

Serena: I dreamed of a big show, but I had no idea that it could grow into so much more. The evolution has been amazing and I feel very fortunate to get to do what I do.

What are your dreams for My Favorite Find?

Serena: My goal is to connect everyone together in one place where you can find what you love and celebrate it together.

So many women admire you. You’ve managed to grow a successful business. I know that you are incredibly supportive of other women in business. Do you have any tips for starting and growing a business that you might share with us?

Serena:Here are a few thoughts:

Come up with a good solid plan of what it is you want to do. It’s important to not be too all over the place with what you’re doing. If your business is hard for others to understand, it probably won’t be too successful.

Be inspired by others, but don’t duplicate their work. If your business is similar to others, it won’t get noticed.

Surround yourself with good, like-minded people and who build each other up. If you don’t feel good about someone, trust your intuition.

And finally, do you have your very own Favorite Find?

Serena: My greatest score of all time was a shirt I bought at a yard sale for 10 cents and sold for $860!

Thank you, Serena, for this opportunity.

Serena: Thank you!

I’ve had the chance to explore My Favorite Find and I know you are going to love it. Be sure to stop by on Monday. Here’s the link again: My Favorite Find.

Elizabeth and Bob

at by

A reader wrote me recently and said she had something she wanted to send me and I passed along my address. The other day, I was at the Post Office mailing some Etsy packages and decided to check my fairly new post office box. Because it’s new to me, I often forget to check it. There was a note inside stating I had a package. It had been there for 4 or 5 days.

I opened it up in the car. This was inside:

It was carefully packed in a little box. Tina, from North Carolina, sent it to me along with a beautiful note that immediately brought tears to my eyes. Yep. I sat there in the car and cried.

I won’t disclose all the words in Tina’s lovely letter but I will tell you that Tina’s grandmother, who lived to be 97 years old, was a collector. She was worried that her treasures would end up in a yard sale after her death. Tina, bless her heart, held on to them, occasionally selling them to treasure lovers via Etsy. No yard sales for Tina.

Because I collect Bride and Groom Cake Toppers, Tina sent this to me because “I know you will treasure this item.”

Tina says this bride and groom have names: Elizabeth and Bob, married in 1926 and “deeply committed to each other.”

They are very small, only 2 1/2″ high.

Here they are in front of my dad’s childhood toy – a Model T. Sort of perfect, don’t you think?

Where do I find the words to say how much this gift means to me? Something so precious that belonged to a dearly loved grandmother has been passed on to me simply because I write this blog. This loving gesture stopped me in my tracks. I was amazed and humbled.

Tina, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will treasure Elizabeth and Bob. They will be proudly displayed with my other brides and grooms. You may rest assured that their home here at Mockingbird Hill Cottage is a perfect fit. I sent you a thank you note, which should arrive in your mailbox shortly. I looked and looked for your email address but couldn’t find it. But now that I think of it, a handwritten thank you note is a rarity in this world of emails and you deserve that.

In the midst of so much that is disheartening about our world, a heartfelt gesture can turn my day around. Thank you.

Sort of a Relay Race

at by

No pretty pictures today, I’m afraid. I had my iPhone with me in Manhattan, ready to take some photos of my favorite city. Alas, it was a gray day – foggy and rainy.

I ended up shooting some pictures from inside the bus as we left Manhattan.

That’s the Empire State Building with the top of the building hidden in the fog. Not a good day to be up on the Observation Floor.

From inside the bus, passing another bus.

Ah, the life of a jet setter. It was basically an in and out day. In to Manhattan on the bus, then travel 2 stops on the subway, then walk to my coaching session, coach for an hour and a half,  scurry back to the Port Authority Bus Station via the subway, grab some takeout to eat on the bus, then a bus trip of an hour and a half, arrive at local bus station, drive home, pass the car keys on to Don, who was ready to leave for work. Sort of like a relay race.

I’ve fed the dogs, vacuumed the house, and now I’m settling down to read some blogs. Right before I left this morning, I quickly listed another scarf on Etsy and it sold while I was in the city. Looks like more scarf crocheting this evening.

Have a great Friday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives