Hidden Gems: Meet Amy Doyle + Jayme Kuenkel of Charm at the Farm Vintage Market

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Doyle + Jayme Kuenkel.

Hi Amy and Jayme, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Charm at the Farm started with me (Amy), a city girl who loves shopping and all things vintage, who moved to a farm in Southwest Ohio! I wanted to make the most of my beautiful farmland, so I had this crazy idea to create an open-air shopping experience at the farm that I would want to attend myself.

What else was a city girl to do with a 56-acre farm?! So, I convinced my best friend, Jayme, to join me in starting this new business, which is now widely known across the Greater Cincinnati region as Charm at the Farm.

Our biggest challenge in getting started was to convince our husbands we weren’t crazy! Thankfully we weren’t. We launched our first Charm markets in 2017 and have quickly grown into a local and regional phenomenon with dedicated advocates now affectionately known as “Charmers!” We host our Charm markets one weekend only each June, August, and October. It truly is a can’t-miss experience.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting your own business always brings challenges, as you don’t know what you don’t know. Before we held our first event, we spent over a year researching and determining the type of vendors we wanted to be a part of our event, who would help us create a unique and notable experience.

It wasn’t easy to convince some vendors to come set up in an empty farm field, ensuring them that shoppers would come, especially when the idea of Charm was just a twinkle in our eyes at that point. So that was a challenge.

We started small very intentionally to make sure we got our concept, branding, and marketing strategy just right, and quickly grew. We now host about 110 vendors each June, August, and October. We believe in quality over quantity and take a lot of care to make sure we have a carefully curated variety of the best vendors who represent and believe in our Charm vision and mission.

What we’ve learned in business is that it’s important to know your strengths, and surround yourself with the right people to support you as challenges arise. We have a phenomenal, hardworking team!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Charm at the Farm is an upscale, open-air vintage market held just 3 fabulous weekends a year each June, August, and October, at a 56-acre farm in quaint Lebanon, OH, just north of Cincinnati.

We are heading into our 6th year and our goal has always been to promote and support small businesses. We bring high-quality vendors from all over the Midwest to our markets. You’ll find vintage, antique, handmade, and repurposed items and gifts including everything from jewelry and clothing to home décor. You’ll also discover things you didn’t even know you needed!

Each market brings thousands of shoppers out to the farm to enjoy the ambiance of our serene and picturesque setting. Our shoppers also feel good as they are supporting amazing local artisans and small businesses. We also have plenty of food options to keep those hunger pangs away…and, of course, we have wine! It’s really the perfect way to spend a Friday evening VIP style with your girls or Saturday and/or Sunday with your mom and sister.

We are most proud of two things. One, that we are showing our kids that you can achieve your dreams through hard work, passion, and determination. Second, it makes us so proud when our vendors succeed as a result of the visibility they received at Charm and support from our Charmers. Whether that means they open a storefront, open a second location, quit their job to do their small business full time, or just shouting from the rooftops when they have a great market, watching them succeed and knowing Charm is a small part of their success makes all of our hard work worth it.

Contact Info:

• Email: charmatthefarm@gmail.com
• Website: charmatthefarm.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/charmatthefarm
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/charmatthefarm

Image Credits
Alisa Leek Photography