Old Slate Farm, Mount Vernon

Katie and Brad Carothers grew up on the same street in Columbus’ Upper Arlington neighborhood and always wanted to have lots of land. Today, the husband-and-wife duo own Old Slate Farm, a 25-acre property in Mount Vernon. When they moved to their farmhouse in 2014, Katie started a garden hoping to sell produce at a weekend farmers market, but her wedding-planner friend suggested she start growing flowers to tap into the booming event industry.

With Katie’s degree in botany and Brad’s degree in mechanical engineering, the couple has cultivated wedding staples like bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres as well as table centerpieces and large ceremony installations.

“All the weddings that we did [in 2020] went down to … 30 to 75 guests,” Katie says. “For the most part, they didn’t cut their flower budget at all. They just wanted it to be really amazing and really beautiful.”

But with fewer events on the calendar, the couple had to find other ways to sell. On weekends, when they had leftover flowers, Katie would put a sign out on the side of state Route 661 advertising their honor-system stand stocked with bouquets, handmade soaps, and quail and chicken eggs.

The Carothers also raise Katahdin sheep. The farm has a primary flock of about 60 ewes that graze the property. The couple also crafts botanical handmade soaps at home. The bars come in seasonal scents such as Fir Needle & Coriander, Peppermint & Charcoal and Geranium & Cedarwood. 

“It blends in with our flower arrangements, it blends in with our house,” Katie says. “It is everything that I feel like Old Slate Farm is in a bar of soap.” 

7510 Granville Rd., Mount Vernon 43050, 740/398-1279, oldslatefarm.com