Common question: “So which Schell family are you related to?”
Many people (understandably) think that our last name is Schell. (In fact, once I was even quoted as Traci Schell in a newspaper article about our flower business!) But truth be told, it is NOT our last name, and we’re not even related to the Schell family at all.
Sometimes, I wonder if I made a huge mistake when I named our business. But as I go back to the beginning of the story– the WHY behind our name– I know it was meant to be this way. In order to fully appreciate “Schell Farm Gardens,” I have to take you back to my childhood. Here is the story behind our backyard flower farm’s name:
As a child, I grew up on an organic dairy farm. Being a farm kid, I spent my fair share of time outside, roaming the hills, picking blackberries, and playing in the woods.
One particular activity my brother and I enjoyed was to hike to the "Schell Farm.” It was about a mile from our home, through our family's fields and pastures, up the dug road and across the ridge. There sat an old, broken-down house that once belonged to the Schell family, and later was occupied by their daughter, Freida. My dad had rented the workland for years, and when Freida passed away, he purchased the plot which included the original house and barn dating back to over a century.
I’m not sure what the draw really was. This particular location does have a gorgeous view no matter which way you turn. And the mysterious old house was the prime setting to let any kid’s imagination run wild. I always felt a little sad to know that the lady who had lived and died there left no heir . . . no one to appreciate her belongings, her property, her home. I remember closing my eyes and imagining what it would look like with new unbroken windows, a fresh coat of paint, and a front porch with flower pots. Soon, the fixed-up Schell House of my imagination had me all grown up and living inside it. I remember jokingly telling my parents and siblings that someday I was going to live in that house on the Schell Farm. We all would just laugh because we knew it was ridiculous.
And soon, that far-fetched, wild idea turned into a distant dream when I moved to Peru indefinitely after college, unsure where life would take me. For three years, I worked at an orphanage in a suburb of Lima. Casa Hogar houses 65 kids and provides family-style living and stability for the children in its care. Shortly after my move, I met my husband, Paul.
Eventually, we got married, and decided to move back to Wisconsin. Soon after we had decided we would stay here permanently, my parents asked me if I was up for a remodel project. My dad had made a 3D model out of a cardboard box and I loved that this was part of his pitch. Paul and I were up for it.
We worked tirelessly to make my childhood dream a reality, cleaning up years of someone else’s life, then tearing off part of the house that had water damage, jacking it up in order to lay a new foundation and setting it back down. We gutted it and built an addition. Almost everything on the inside of the house– from the kitchen cupboards to the light fixtures to the appliances– were acquired second-hand. After about two years, the house was remodeled, a mailbox placed by the road, and Paul and I officially purchased and moved into the house I had always known as the "Schell House."
As the years passed, we welcomed our children, and soon a new dream of a backyard flower farm started taking shape. I always chuckle to myself when I think about how long I pondered our business name. Literally, it was maybe five seconds. It was one of the easiest decisions of my life, as if I had always known that this will always be “the Schell Farm.” I couldn’t imagine calling it anything else.
And so while it may be a bit misleading, the name is a tribute to my childhood memories, my parents, and the Schell family-- a family I never knew, but think of fondly. Near the fence line, there is a row of aging lilac bushes, planted years and years ago by someone in the Schell family, I would guess. When I cut lilacs in the spring, and breathe them in deeply, I am so thankful that someone nurtured these plants so long ago, so that I could enjoy them today. I am reminded of the power of sharing flowers-- even over the decades.
Love from The Castro Family and Schell Farm Gardens
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