NORTHFIELD — In the event’s second year, organizer Amy Neil has expanded the scope of Northfield Shopping Days, turning it into a celebration of the beginning of the growing season.
The second Northfield Shopping Days will take place at Nostalgia Farm and Flower Co., located at 225 Winchester Road, on Saturday, June 18, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. While last year’s event took place over two days, Neil said she decided to shorten it to just one day this year because foot traffic was heavily concentrated on the first day.
The event is organized almost single-handedly by Neil, who owns and lives at Nostalgia Farm and Flower Co.
Neil, formerly a track and field coach at Columbia University, has worked in the field of agriculture for 12 years. She said she was moved to become a farmer by the fact that her then-boyfriend, now husband, formerly worked at Flayvors of Cook Farm in Hadley.
When they moved to Northfield in 2019, one of their requirements was an open field. Luckily, they found just that, and the perfect place to start a farm.
Eventually, they realized that the farm was on the verge of growing into a formal business. Needing something to help the farm recover from the pandemic, they decided to hold a small antique furniture show on their property, as Neil was dabbling in the field of furniture restoration.
Neil said she wanted to build a sense of community with Northfield Shopping Days.
“When you all collaborate together, everyone gets seen,” Neil said.
Since then, Neil has expanded the scope of Northfield Shopping Days, turning it into a celebration of the beginning of the growing season. After more than a decade, Neil feels as though she has learned the importance of food and farming in the community, and believes there is a passion among local residents for naturally grown food and flowers.
Neil is excited to show off many new additions to the farm, among which is a vineyard that was not present at the time of last year’s Shopping Days. The grapes grown at Nostalgia Farm, which Neil said can be used for both eating and making wine, are a special breed, more adaptable to the unpredictable weather of the Northeast than those sold in grocery stores. According to Neil, if the weather is fair, this year will mark the farm’s first full grape harvest.
“We’re ready to share all these grapes with the community,” she said.
Neil said the community has been “beyond receptive” to Northfield Shopping Days, with people constantly asking her if she will open other markets. She has capped the number of events held at Nostalgia Farm at two annually, with another to be held in the fall. According to Neil, the popularity of Northfield Shopping Days has spread far beyond Franklin County, with one person coming to last year’s event all the way from Newburyport.
Highlights of this year’s Shopping Days include a class on raising chickens at noon, a class on growing grapes in cold climates at 3 p.m. and a market with about 15 vendors. Among these are two “VIP vendors”: Peg Pottery and Minds Eye Art, both from Northfield. Musicians including Andrew Vernon, Jim McRae and Carolyn Baskowski will perform from noon to 3 p.m.
For more information about Northfield Shopping Days, visit nostalgiabyamyneil.com/northfield-shopping-days. While the workshops are free to attend, space is limited and attendees are asked to register in advance online.