When you walk into 329 St. Clair St. in downtown Frankfort you are immediately consumed with the sweet, floral smells of Kentucky.
Filling buckets of water on a display in the center of The Kentucky Flower Market (KFM) are flowers of the season that were grown in central Kentucky.
“All of our farmers are women-owned flower farmers,” KFM owner Kayla Carey said. “There are 26 farmers total we work with.”
Kayla started her own flower farm, Rookery Flower Co., on her parents’ Peaks Mill property in 2021. She and her husband moved to the farm from Shelby County and lived in a camper until they built their tiny house.
“We started cultivating the area around the camper, making it a proper flower farm,” Kayla said. She quit her full-time job as a nurse to become a flower farmer.
In 2022, she teamed up with Sarah Torgerson, owner of Eden Roots Flower Farm in Nicholasville, to open KFM. Torgerson has since left the company to work on her farm full-time.
Kayla said KFM “exists to cater to wholesale customers — brick and mortar florists and wedding designers.”
The flower farms she works with are mainly concentrated around Louisville and Lexington. One is in Bowling Green, another in southern Indiana and a few in eastern Kentucky. At least three of the growers are in Frankfort.
Farmers deliver their flowers to Kayla at the market on St. Clair the first part of the week, and then Kayla delivers them to her customers in Louisville, Lexington, northern Kentucky and Cincinnati.
“There is a huge range of skill level and experience among the growers,” Kayla said. “There are things that local growers can grow more exquisitely than what you can get from a wholesaler that has been shipped in from Ecuador or Columbia.”
One of the most popular flowers that her customers buy from her because they can’t get it from a wholesaler are dahlias.
“They don’t ship well,” she said.
She also said zinnias don’t ship well, and if you see them in a bouquet, they most likely came from a local grower.
Kayla said Kentucky grown flowers are less likely to be covered in chemicals. She said grocery store flowers are full of preservatives because they can take a week to get to us, and because of that, they won’t last as long.
“You’re getting an insane amount of time out of flowers you get from us or a local grower,” Kayla said.
The flowers sold in the shop are those left over from her deliveries to wholesalers.
“Local flowers change week to week,” she said. “So, people can get a handle of seasonal flowers in Kentucky by stopping in and seeing it.”
Part of Kayla’s mission is to educate people on what flower farming is, what it takes and the seasonality of flowers in Kentucky.
“You have to catch them at the perfect time,” she said. “An hour or two can change the quality of a bloom.”
She also offers a bloom calendar, located at the check out counter, which is free for people to take. The calendar shows you what is blooming that month.
Along with selling locally grown flowers, Kayla also sells a variety of gifts including T-shirts, handbags, soap, tea, candles and more.
“The tea is from Among the Oaks in Berea,” Kayla said. “The goat’s milk soap is from one of our grower’s sister who hand milks the goats it’s made from.”
A woman in Frankfort sells embroidered hats. She also sells artwork from an artist in Vermont and tea towels made by a woman in California.
The market space can be rented out for events. Kayla has hosted baby showers, wedding showers, bachelorette parties, birthday parties, and more.
She also hosts events such as Poses and Poises, which involved yoga and a bouquet-making workshop; she hosted a summer wreath workshop; and a
“Bootquet” workshop, where participants painted ceramic boots and put flowers in them.
She said the public can also order bulk flowers for DIY events, such as weddings and baby showers.
Kayla said she also plans events for when there are activities happening in downtown Frankfort. She held a silent disco during Witches Night Out. On May 17, she plans to have a Flower Prom.
“It will be a time for people to come in and dress up and hang out,” Kayla said. Proceeds from the Flower Prom will benefit the Kentucky Health Justice Network. Tickets will be on her website, www.kentuckyflowermarket.com.
Kayla encourages people to shop locally for their flowers saying, “you are helping farmers in your immediate community. What you get from here, you will be amazed at how long it lasts on your counter.”
She also encourages people to come into the shop and hang out for a while.
“We have people come in here, drink coffee and work on their computers,” she said. “I want it to be a safe shop where people can come in here and convene.”
She’s also happy that she has helped to create a community for flower farmers.
“Farming in general is an isolating profession,” Kayla said. “Educating the community and getting florists on board to put their dollars locally is creating community for farmers.”
The Kentucky Flower Market is open mid-March through Christmas. The space is available for rental in January and February, and throughout the rest of the year.
Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Thursday; noon-6 p.m. on Friday; and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday.
