THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 31, 1994 TAG: 9411010510
SECTION: BUSINESS WEEKLY PAGE: 6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PEGGY SIJSWERDA, SPECIAL TO BUSINESS WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 104 lines
Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?
Mark and Michele Shean often provide free lunches as part of the organic gardening classes they hold on their small Virginia Beach farm. But there's a trade-off.
The Sheans put their budding gardeners to work in the fields as part of the hands-on learning experience. ``This way,'' Michelle Shean said, ``we share the work.''
Cheap labor is one of the unique methods these Virginia Beach entrepreneurs use to lower expenses on their five-acre farm, where they grow a variety of organic produce.
``Nothing goes to waste,'' said Michele, a thirtyish brunette, explaining their source of fertilizer. ``We use weeds we take off the fields, leaves from our neighbors, animal manure. If we were paying for chemical fertilizer, we wouldn't be able to make money. Besides that, this fertilizer is better.''
The Sheans also own Virginia Garden, a small shop in the Virginia Beach Farmer's Market, where they sell their produce as well as other organic fruits and vegetables and health food products.
In the five years since the shop opened, the Sheans have watched the local economy evolve. How they have weathered those changes and grown a flourishing business in the process holds some lessons for would-be entrepreneurs, lessons that are simple, basic and down-to-earth.
It all started in 1989 when Mark and Michele opened a small garden shop tucked into the backside of the Virginia Beach Farmer's Market. Their wares included Adirondack-style outdoor furniture, which Mark built, gardening tools and decorative items. Then in 1991, a war erupted halfway around the globe.
``Things slowed down around the time of the war in Iraq, and the furniture business wasn't going so well,'' said Mark, a trim, compact man with a scattering of whiskers on his tanned face.
But the Sheans had another product that was selling: the organic, chemical-free produce they grew on their farm - ``the extras of what we were growing for ourselves,'' Michele said. ``More and more people started coming in for the organic produce, so we bought a truck and drove to Maryland to buy it in quantities.''
To help pay for the truck, they bought additional produce and sold it wholesale to other area health food stores. This creative financing enabled the Sheans to increase their business without incurring high debts.
In addition, when they started Virginia Garden, both Michele and Mark kept their full-time jobs, opening their shop only on weekends.
``So we always had income coming in,'' Michele said. ``We didn't depend on the business.''
Careful planning and a frugal lifestyle have always been a part of the Shean's philosophy. Mark Shean paid cash for their Pungo land 20 years ago. After getting married in 1983, he and Michele spent four years building their home while living in a trailer. ``So we don't have land payments or mortgage payments,'' Michele said.
It isn't easy being in business for yourself,'' Michele said. ``We still have times when we have to depend on frugality to get through - usually around tax time. That's why it's important to start a business you enjoy,`` Michele says, ``So you can keep doing it whether there's pay or not.''
However, the Sheans rarely complain. There's good reason. Michele offered an example of the return on a 4-foot by 20-foot bed of sweet basil.
``With the seed I collected from last year, I've grown basil for four months this season, and it's still growing. We've probably made $400 so far,'' she said. ``And I get seeds for next year as a final bonus.''
Marketing this specialized business might challenge some entrepreneurs. Besides Virginia Garden's out-of-the-way location in southern Virginia Beach, the store's organic produce and health food carry above average prices.
But Mark and Michele attract organic food devotees who don't mind driving past large grocery store chains and paying more for food that is certified organically grown, free of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.
The Sheans also believe educating the public helps market their business. Once Michele passed out carrots at a seminar for nutritionists. She recalled another marketing attempt:
``They invited me to do a nutritional show at a church. Here I am handing out carrot juice while across from me Wendy's is handing out free hamburgers,'' she laughed. ``It wasn't easy, but I got everyone to try the carrot juice.''
It's grassroots marketing, Michele admitted, but it works. ``We market ourselves,'' she added, ``Our own personal philosophies.'' Michele believes being at the Virginia Beach Farmer's Market is a natural location ``because here it's almost my duty to spread my philosophy about farming: It's still possible, profitable and good for Virginia Beach.''
The Sheans sound fiercely loyal to agriculture in general and organic produce in particular. ``I'd love to see local farmers try some organic test plots because the market's wide open,'' Michele said.
``Basically, organic farming is more food grown in smaller spaces. It takes more manpower, less big equipment, and it means jobs.''
The Sheans are clearing some new fields on their Pungo land and plan to do more volume. They're confident their business will continue to grow. Mark says on-farm processing of their organic produce may be in the future.
For now the winter garden is planted. The pace will slow down a bit for the Sheans as winter blankets the land. Next spring, production will pick up, and Mark and Michele will have a new crop of eager students out on the farm, weeding and hoeing the land. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by Mort Fryman, Staff
Above, Mark Shean harvests leeks...
Organic gardening is a partnership for Mark and Michelle Shean...
by CNB