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WAYNE TWP. The Bruch family is retiring from the plant business at Quailcrest Farm but not before hosting one more Spring Garden Fair.
Yes, the greenhouse and Garden Barn will close June 26, and this weekend’s fair will be the last one. However, the gardens on the property will be maintained, and for those thinking about hosting a wedding, the Tracy Barn will continue to be available.
“We’re breaking lots of hearts. We just know it’s time for us to retire and enjoy our own gardens,” said Ginna Phillips, one of the four Bruch siblings who continued the business founded by their mother Libby Bruch in 1975.
Quailcrest Farm will celebrate its 35th annual Spring Garden Fair on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 50 exhibitors will display their art and horticultural products in tents and in the gardens across the farm.
Last year’s fair was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
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“We’d like to say thank you,” Phillips said. “It’s been our pleasure, our joy, our passion to provide the quality and different plants from all over — Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Customers have been coming here for years because of the wide variety of plants.”
Rain or shine, garden fair will go on
The weather looks clear and hot for most of the weekend. The National Weather Service predicts a chance of showers early on Sunday. Either way, the garden fair will proceed.
The fair will host many favorite artisans from years past along with new and creative artists featuring imaginative items to enhance summer gardens and the gardener’s life. There is no admission to the fair; a $2 per vehicle fee will be collected to support Boy Scout Troop 68.
Customers will find glamorous floral-inspired jewelry, funky wrought iron spirits, wooden signs, baskets, antiques, pottery, clay/metal art, fairy gardens, wood turnings, stained glass whimsies, sun catchers, fine glass, honey products, handcrafted all-natural soaps and creams, teas, miniature paintings, dolls, and much more.
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The Quailcrest greenhouse plant material and merchandise will be on sale over the weekend. Everything will be 35% off on Saturday and 50% off plants on Sunday.
The fair will also offer food wagons, ice cream, and kettle corn for patrons.
Quailcrest Farm is at 2810 Armstrong Rd., west of state Route 83. For more information, call 330-345-6722 or visit the farm’s website at quailcrest.com.
Book your wedding or party at the Tracy Barn at Quailcrest Farm
Phillips along with her brothers, Toby and Rusty Bruch, will continue to host events at the Tracy Barn and maintain the gardens at Quailcrest Farm. The barn and gardens are available for weddings, parties, and other special events.
“We have that beautiful building. We love the grounds here. It’s a great spot for a wedding,” Phillips said. “It’s turned into such a beautiful piece of property to keep that going.”
Libby and Tom Bruch moved to the 200-acre dairy farm in 1957. The farm offered plenty of space for Libby to grow her flowers and she would sell many of her plants to neighbors and friends. She initially sold her plants out of an outbuilding behind the 1870s-era farmhouse.
Libby Bruch started Quailcrest Farm in 1975 selling perennials. She also loved hand-thrown pottery and would sell that in the small gift shop. A few years later, they built a greenhouse and expanded their offerings.
“Gardening was her passion,” Phillips said of her mother. “We’re blessed to work as a family all these years. Mom got us into this. We fell in love with it. We’re so lucky to carry it on.”
She added, “It’s not often that four siblings can work together in peace and harmony. We love doing it.”
The family has struggled with the announcement that they’re closing the plant shop (hours through June 26 are 9 a.m. to 5p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays), especially when they hear how much it’s meant to people in the community.
“We’ve had so many people say, ‘I came here with my mom when I was a little girl. Now, I’m bringing my kids.’ It’s a bittersweet thing for all of us,” Phillips said.
Reach Emily at 330-287-1632 or [email protected].
On Twitter: @mogie242
