The Story of Cheswick Flowers
Cheswick Flowers was birthed out of a complete surrender of a planned out life to God’s will. During her brief career as a dentist, owner and chief flower grower, Emily McCormick, began to dream that life could be a little less scripted and a lot more adventurous.
She set out to explore the world visiting over 30 countries in a matter of a few years. With a craving to experience all of the different ways people live, she bought plane tickets and just went, often figuring out her itinerary along the way. Her two favorite countries left the biggest mark. In Israel, her soul awakened and her desire to see the world exploded. And in Kenya, she experienced the beautiful simplicity of life and community. No one in Kenya lives on an island, and her time at the Saruni Girls’ Rescue Center showed her what it’s like to serve Jesus in however He would choose. And she truly experienced the joy that comes with knowing Him and being satisfied by His Presence alone.
On one trip to Kenya, Emily and her friends were exploring some opportunities for various projects in one of the very fertile areas of Kenya. Unexpectedly, they happened upon a flower farm. The fields were full of agapanthus, sea holly, craspedia, eucalyptus, and the instant favorite, Star of Bethlehem (the Cheswick Flowers logo inspiration). Something lit up in Emily that day. The flowers captivated her. The owner, Peter, was happy to show off the work of his land, and he was so proud of all the blooms. He allowed Emily and her friends to explore the fields of flowers, and it was Emily who seemed to exhibit more excitement for the beauty, peace, and serenity of that place than all of her friends combined.
This significant encounter was forced to be tucked away for a few years until she found Cheswick. Bought at first with the vision to create a cafe or bed and breakfast, she soon rediscovered her new love for flowers. The first project at Cheswick was to recreate the garden space in the back left corner into nine squares just like the previous owners had done. And little by little, Cheswick Flowers came to life!
