Crafting a farmstead

Mar. 29—GRAYSON — There's something homelike about Steve Owens and his creations. Gentle in nature, Owens would describe himself humbly as a farmer who likes to piddle.

Before Owens was a store owner and skillful in all things homemade, he was just a young boy following around his grandfather with a stick on a wide open farm, which eventually became his in 2012.

Seated on a stool in the center of Valley of Hope Farm Store in Grayson, surrounded by his homemade weavings and wood workings, Owens recapped the journey that led him back to his grandfather's 95 acres.

After a car accident reset his course from working seven days a week, Owens said it was God's way of slowing him down and aligning him to where he needed to be: the farm.

For a long while, Owens said, he kept up with the fast-paced lifestyle, working out of state as a heavy equipment operator after his early life with a military family familiarized him with the "city" life.

But, Owens said, even as a small child, he knew one day his visits to the farm would become more permanent.

"It's something I always dreamed of," Owens said, adding his experience with his grandfather taught him the fundamentals like driving tractors and stripping tobacco.

In 2008, Owens met his eventual wife, Milissia, who had grown up on a farm herself and knew all things growing and baking, which Owens said made God's plan that much clearer.

Following the car accident and a back injury, Owens said he was called back to Valley of Hope Farms in 2012 which had gone neglected for several years.

That farm, nestled down a 2-mile-long gravel drive, holds the Owens' cottage.

The homestead, naturally, was built from the ground up by none other than Owens himself.

Owens said he and his wife started their adventure by living out of a tent while Owens began building their farm piece by piece — first the house then the animals, mimicking scripture.

"As overwhelming as it should have been, there was none," Owens said, "God handled it when we stepped out with faith."

Owens said his daily life is not unlike most farmers now, with his wake-up call sounded by the rooster or border collie, Darcie.

But what separates Owens from those who plow, milk and sheer is his expertise in woodworking, soap making, knitting, resin pouring and any other craft one could dream up.

Owens got his start creating in high school wood shop class, where he learned the basics of carpentry.

Owens recalled crafting a 13-rack gun case for a family member as a senior in high school.

As life led Owens back to the farm, he tapped back into his early talents and assembled his wooden creations based on useful things needed around the house.

In addition to building the house itself, Owens also built pens for pigs and goats to clear the once neglected land covered in thick brush and undesirable vegetation.

Then came planters for the garden where they grow heaps of produce.

Owens said he then turned his attention to additional necessities he could build instead of buying mass-produced items.

"Just little things missing, pot holders, knives, I'm just somebody who piddles around," Owens said, never dreaming his creations would lead to an entire livelihood.

For example, Owens said he noticed his wife, who is quite the baker and chef, needed trivets to place her dishes on straight out of the oven.

The crisscrossed-designed trivets now sit in the Owens storefront and were quite popular at local farmer markets once Owens decided to share his creations with the public.

Owens also shaped up a kid-friendly knife after he watched his granddaughter, Iris, 8, slice up a banana for her younger brother, Oliver, 4.

The Montessori-style slicer can also be found on Owens's store shelves, along with butter dishes, cutting boards, stovetop covers and other daily staples.

Owens is also no stranger to trendy home decor items, often making handcrafted ornaments, signage and other seasonal desirables.

But Owens still describes himself humbly, adding these creations were just a result of noticing things missing that can make life easier for those around him, and as it would turn out, are useful to most local folks who request his custom work often.

Unique to Owens and his creations, all of his materials come directly from Valley Hope Farms.

"Everything comes from the farm," Owens said, whether its pasture-raised animals, peacock feathers for jewelry making, goat milk for soaps and fruit tree harvests concocted into homemade jams and jellies.

In addition to filling his store with everyday objects out of various wood types that were previously unused timber or scraps on the farm, Owens taught himself to intricately weave boutique-worthy outerwear by utilizing fiber sheered from his alpacas.

Instead of priding himself on mastering a self-taught skill such as weaving, Owens gave credit to Cinco De Mayo, his award-winning alpaca who recently trotted away with fifth place in a state competition.

"We don't throw anything away," Owens said, adding each of his alpacas is only sheered once a year, making the collected fiber that much more special.

Owens held out one of his wool works in progress, running his hands along the intricate woven pattern he taught himself to do.

"I just started a weave pattern on a peg loom," Owens said.

Owens collects the wool and sends it off for special dyes and treatment to give it a desirable, soft texture.

In addition to woodworking, sheering, weaving, feeding, milking, plowing, etc., Owens also dabbles in laser engraving and iron work — just in case he has too much down time.

With all of these talents, handmade goods and farm-raised goodies, Owens said he and his wife turned toward God again.

"Now what?"

Shortly after posing the question and praying for guidance, Owens had an idea to bring the youth to the farm to show them the basics of gardening or farming, but also to share scripture.

"Next thing I knew I had a group of kids on the front porch for morning devotion," Owens said with a laugh.

Owens said he and his wife instruct local youth to "plant the seed," and tend to a garden, with faith being the most important crop of all.

Reminiscing on previous years, Owens recalled teaching a child how to grow a plant with a newspaper and a mason jar, telling the child, "You don't need a million dollars to be self sufficient."

Owens also recalled watching a young attendee bottle-feeding one of the farm's newest additions, with his eyes glimmering at the memory of the child's excitement combining with his own memories of following his grandfather around the farm.

"That means more to me than anything," Owens said.

In addition to devotionals and sharing their land with children, the Owenses started to share their creations at local vendor fairs, striking up a market that would define their path even more clearly.

With success as an independent vendor, in November 2023, the Owenses opened Valley of Hope Farm Store in the Southside Town Mall off U.S. 60 and Carol Malone Boulevard in Grayson.

Again finding themselves overwhelmed with the daily maintenance of the farm and managing a storefront, Owens said he and his wife kept thier faith.

"When I thought 'that's too much,' I never envisioned this," Owens said inside the store, pointing out trinkets and products and the labor that went into them.

"At the end of the day, we're farmers ... It's all God's journey, He laid out the path," Owens said.

Even with the store bringing in more requests for his custom pieces, Owens maintained his humility. All his art starts as rough-cut lumber.

"I look at it as just a piece of wood," Owens said about the beginning of each creation. Although they have come quite in demand with trending charcuterie boards and other personalized home decor.

"Now it's 'can you do this?'" Owens said with a laugh.

"I'm living the dream, though. It's something I've always dreamed of," Owens said, again referencing his childhood on the farm.

Owens said his grandfather's legacy continues at A Valley of Hope Farms, too, with his old pickup cab still greeting visitors at the end of the 2-mile drive.

The cab has been painted lavender, though, as requested by Owen's granddaughter, Iris.

The farm is not only a place for handmade art and goods, but also a place where the seed has bloomed and where legacy-making grandfathers roam.

(606) 326-2626 — mjepling@dailyindependent.com