In Third Year, Flynn's Family Farm Keeps Moving Forward

When Sean Flynn attended Oliver Ames High School in the late 1990's, he would routinely stop in at a 20-acre farm on Bay Road south of Five Corners.

Sean would buy food and products from what was then called Henderson's Farm. A landscaper, Flynn saw the value in a working farm and when the family that owned it looked to sell the land to developers, he saw it as an opportunity to save the land and make it his own.

"I’ve always wanted this," he said. "I knew the family that owned this before since high school – I always used to come here to buy products and I always knew the place was here."

Flynn's landscaping company, Sean Flynn Landscaping, was started when he was still in high school. Through hard work and motivation, he and his wife Jessica, who both graduated Oliver Ames in 2000, bought Henderson's Farm three years ago and changed the name to Flynn's Family Farm.

While Sean saw the farm as a place for his business to call home, both he and Jessica saw it as a great place to raise a family. The two have a 4-year-old and a 3-year-old girl, with another child on the way.

"I enjoy being on a farm and being able to stay home with the kids, but still having something to do outside," Jessica said.

"They’re just like us," Sean added. "They really enjoy being outside and chasing the chickens around."

Business was slow at first, Sean said, but things have been picking up lately and he expects the sale of Christmas trees and seasonal products this year to be a major draw. He said that sometimes the location of the farm is an issue.

"It’s more trying to get people to know that we’re here," Sean said. "We recently sent out some coupons and we’ve been getting a lot of response from people in town that said they didn’t even know we were here."

In addition to trees and wreaths during the holidays, the Flynns sell flowers, mulch, stone, nursery stock, and bag products during the spring and summer months.

Changing products and changing seasons keep the couple busy, Sean said.

"We’re outside all the time," he said. "You get a different change every couple of months. It starts in early March when we’re planting everything with the greenhouses and getting everything going. You don’t get tired doing the same thing because it changes so fast. I really enjoy the lifestyle – the farm aspect of the lifestyle."

The Flynns are also continuing the full-service landscaping business Sean started in high school. His business has grown to employ 10 people with eight trucks.

As natives of Easton, giving back to the community is something important to the business, they said. Flynn Family Farm has made donations to the garden club and participated in Easton's cemetery project. The company also helps with landscaping at some of Easton's schools.

"It’s karma – giving back," Jessica said. "It’s where our kids are growing up. It’s where we grew up."

The farm will continue to grow, Jessica said, with the addition of new live-stock as the years go by. Currently, Flynn Family Farm houses chickens. The two hope they can continue to add new animals, though.

A petting zoo, the Flynns said, would be a welcome addition to what they are trying to create.

"We want the family atmosphere," Sean said. "We want that reason for people to come here. I feel like people now will do anything to keep the kids occupied so if they’re going to come here and buy something and the kids want to come here, there's even more of a reason for them to stop in."

An original version of this article said the farm was 200 acres. It is actually 20 acres. Patch regrets the error.