Farming Supplies in the City

Last weekend, we had to pick up our 20,000 Italian honeybees that we ordered from our beekeeping teacher and the folks at NYCBA. I will write about that experience in an upcoming post. Since the bees were on their way, we were suddenly in a rush, we had to get some beekeeping supplies to get ready for their arrival. Even though the four of us involved in our new bee adventure all order our supplies online, none of us received our packages in time.  We had ordered beekeeper protective suits, entrance feeders, water feeders, hive tools, smokers, but none of it came in.  Then I remembered that I saw on Twitter that a new farming store had opened in Brooklyn called Hayseed's Big City Farm Supply.  Hayseed was opened as a seasonal farm supply store by Brooklyn Homesteader and the folks at Brooklyn Grange.  They recognized an increase of "urban farmers" maintaining gardens, chickens, and bees in the city and thus there was a growing need for a local source of farm supplies.  Things like hay, organic soil amendments, and poultry feed were absolutely impossible to find in the 5 boroughs.  I had read that they also sold beekeeping supplies, and since our beekeeping group had not received any of our supplies in time, I went there to pick up the most important bee gear, the protective veil.  At minimum, we needed hats and veils to wear when we pour the bees into our beehives.  We were so lucky that this store opened up this season to save us in this pinch!  At first sight, I was so impressed with this store.  It was so beautifully designed, that these photos really do not do it justice.  I was literally giddy walking around and looking at everything.  I was like a big kid in a gardening candy store!

I loved how they used a mixture of woods as their wall treatment.  They also had this lovely suspending light fixture above the cashier's desk, which were light bulb fixtures drilled into a garden planter.  And they integrated wooden pallets as decoration and farming supplies as wall ornaments everywhere.  I thought the store interior looked like a super cool stylish and modern barn.  It was so pretty, that I thought to myself, I want my apartment to look like this!  :)  I could totally live in a space like this! hahaha

This store was total eye candy.  It was so visually pretty, that it made me want to buy everything in sight.  However, I had to focus myself on picking up the beekeeping supplies that I came for.

So many different kinds of gardening equipment!!  Check out how they recycled wooden pallets as holders for the gardening shovels.  Isn't that an awesome idea?

How pretty is this?  The design of the entire store blew me away. It was lovely, and so much prettier to shop in a store like this than say a sterile looking Big Box Store.  I loved the look of the turquoise shovels suspended from the ceiling.  And look closely, next to the shovels are mason jars with lighting inside.  How novel right?

I wish my gardening supplies looked this neat and orderly!  Totally inspiring.

I also loved how they displayed seeds. I've always thought seed packets were very artistic, and this really highlighted that.  Here you can see the use of the mason jar lighting better.

And here is the section I was most looking forward to, the section on beekeeping supplies.  They sold Langstroth hives, smokers, bee brushes, hats and veils.  It's a great place to buy supplies in a pinch.  I picked up 2 entrance feeders, and a hat and 2 veils.

I'll definitely be coming back to the store since gardening season is in full swing.  There were lots of other supplies I saw that I wanted to buy.  It's a gardener's candy store.  I spoke with one of the owners while I was there and she said that the store is going to be seasonal, opened only from April - June.  I begged them to stay open throughout the summer, through to August.  I've always thought that New York City needed a local source of farm supplies.  And Hayseed is absolutely perfect and super convenient for us city folks.  I am telling everyone I know to go and support this new local store.  As this urban farming community continues to grow, we NEED businesses like this.  If you're in the NY City area, come out to Greenpoint, Brooklyn and support them!  They also offer classes, events and workshops, see their calendar of upcoming ones.  I definitely see a few I'd like to attend.  Go to the store, I promise, you'll love it!