09/19/2026
Today is our last day at the Downtown Des Moines' Downtown Farmers' Market! 5 years down!
This season has been... wow. Not only did my community and village help out tremendously this summer but also did we have some insane life changes! This post is an update on the twins and a huge thank you post to the businesses and owners who have been freaking wonderful to have as a community.
Zoey and Sammy have been in the NICU for 26 days now and are doing well. Zoey is on room air and is working on eating. Sammy tried room air yesterday for about 30 minutes and decided that the O2 was just too good to give up quite yet. I expect both of them to be home very soon.
A big huge shout out to Whitney Lenz who has been managing the Farmer's Market booth for me since giving birth and been an amazing help. It scared the bejesus out of me to hire help and let someone take over my booth, which has been my pride and joy for 5 years, but she has been truly amazing.
Another huge shout out to Esther Unearthed who has been watching and upkeeping my booth at Eleven101 Collective. She has been a friend of Oak & Ember for just this year but has been truly a wonderful addition to our lives. If you need a protection crystal - go see her Downtown or around the corner from me at the Collective, because my oldest son carries his around still and is thriving.
If you're not vibing with my "ew, beef soap" - go check out By Wisteria... my girl Alex Lihs has the best vegan products and helped a lot with my production this summer. I'm very thankful to have another soap maker and mom friend in my life.
Kourtney from Ladie Lex Scented Candles and Adam from Fontenelle Supply Company have been just the best damn neighbors I could ask for. I am continually asking both of them for business advice, thoughts on products, how to scale, etc. And they are true testiments to Des Moines and the small business community. I am in awe of their success and they're so helpful and constantly checking in with me, personally and professionally. I could not be luckier to have been put next to them over the years.
Lastly, a big thank you to Amelia Klatt and Elizabeth Weyers and the entire Downtown Des Moines Farmer’s Market team. I'm honestly astounded by how much work the team puts in every weekend for every event the Des Moines Partnership puts on. I love having trustworthy people in my corner, but I even more love having a team that runs a tight ship and truly takes care of their vendors. This is a rare and magical combination and I am thankful that we have them here, running the best Market in the country.
Thank you, Des Moines, for supporting and buying from small businesses like mine. Just this week I was able to pay for my dog's vet appointment (another wonderful local business in Beaverdale) and keep my backyard from drowning with supplies from Miller's hardware.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. 🤍🖤
