Hometown: Hartville, Missouri
County: Wright County
Family: Husband, Justin Hughes; sons, Cooper, age 15 and Kale, age 12; sister, Kristin Williams
In Town: “I’ve always loved flowers and gardens. My sister, Kristin Williams and I grew up playing in our granny’s garden and I guess you could say, our shop, our interest in running The Flower Village grew out of that.”
Lauren and Kristin do flowers for weddings and funerals, literally the beginning and the end of people’s lives together. They purchased their business in downtown Hartville in September 2023 from the previous owner who Lauren characterized as ‘amazing’. She had started it and operated it for 47 years. Kristin also works as a wedding photographer.
“I love the ministry that this kind of flower work at funerals, for instance, offers as another way of helping people.
“Living in a rural area is different than living in a big city. Here, we learn how to be creative with limited resources.”
She continued. “While many people see cut or fresh flowers as only lasting for a short time, I think of them as a reminder to live in and enjoy the moment.”
In the Country: Meanwhile, Lauren has found yet another way to blend her interest in flowers and the joy they bring with her family’s multi-generational involvement in farming. She and her sister, Kristin as well as their brother, Nathan Helsley, also a local resident, are the sixth generation of farmers in Wright County where their family has a Century Farm.
She is embarking on her 10th year of operating Hope Springs Farm, a wedding venue on her and her husband’s 175-acre farm. “As a family, we have several different farms for a total of 650 acres. We have approximately 110 commercial Angus cattle, using six registered Angus bulls we get from Beau Davis, another local producer. My husband, Justin just bought a number of animals at the sale barn this past fall and he’s been working to put some weight on them. We wean and background our calves on a TMR (Total Mixed Ration). We started with cattle in 2008 and we do make use of rotational grazing. To be honest, we’ve tried a number of different strategies over the years. That’s how you learn.”
Cattle are just one of their income sources. Justin also operates a construction company, HUCO Builders and both boys are good about helping in the many businesses.
“They have been working in processing and butchering for the first time. This past year we also put new windows all across the front of Farm Hall, one of the wedding buildings located on the farm. We also have a 100-year old barn and a house we use for the weddings . We are getting ready for our Grand Re-Opening to celebrate our 10th year.”
