Finding Our Mountain Home
The farm wasn’t our original plan—it evolved. Greg and Stacy started looking for a place in the mountains in 2010, doing what most Atlantans do when searching for a second home.
“We wanted a place in North Georgia to get away to on the weekends. I wanted to be at a high elevation and Greg wanted to be on a river. It’s a hard combination as rivers usually run in valleys. Somehow it was a former campground in Western North Carolina that met our requirements.” – Stacy
For the first few years, they used the property for extended weekend trips, as originally intended. They had dreams of a small garden, maybe some chickens, but since they didn’t live at the property full time there was little they could maintain. So they started with bees. Greg attended the Macon County Bee School in 2014, where he began building connections with the local farming community.
“Within a year we had chickens (in the campground bathhouse) and then our first sheep (on the septic field).” – Stacy
From Bees to a Working Farm
The original campground property (reopened for camping and glamping in 2022) spans 10 acres, but most of it is terraced with tree cover from previous campsites and RV hookups—not ideal for a garden. In 2013, Greg and Stacy purchased five adjacent acres of relatively flat, clear ground. After more than a year of clearing the overgrown property, the team planted the first garden on what was to become Winding Stair Farm.
They sold extra eggs to friends and family, learned how to shear the sheep, and sought advice from local families who had generations of farming knowledge in this mountain region. Early team members Michelle and Ezra were instrumental in those formative years, bringing their passion for animal husbandry and horticulture to help establish the farm’s foundation. Greg and Stacy still thought of the farm as a way to sustain themselves—until an opportunity arose to transform their little farm into a sustainable business.
The growth of the local food movement in both direct retail and restaurants created a market for the food they were already growing. This, combined with the team’s passion for sustainable agriculture and relentless optimism, became the spirit of Winding Stair Farm.
Becoming Franklin's Local Garden Center
The dedication expanded when they discovered that Spring Valley Nursery in Franklin was going out of business. In November 2017, the nursery was renamed Winding Stair Farm. They worked with the previous owners to bring Franklin a smooth transition of ownership for the area’s largest independent garden center.
As the nursery took shape, Amanda—a friend of nearly three decades who Stacy first met upon Amanda’s arrival from England—joined the team.
Amanda started implementing computer systems for Winding Stair, and quickly became one of the most passionate native plant advocates in the entire organization. Her dedication to mountain native species and sustainable gardening practices helped shape the nursery’s identity as a destination for gardeners seeking plants that thrive in Western North Carolina and North Georgia.
The nursery opened in March 2018 to a warm welcome from the community.
Local residents and visiting shoppers embraced this local, family-owned approach to plant retail. Soon, a loyal base of landscapers began planning their projects around the diverse inventory of native plants, perennials, shrubs, and trees available at this Western North Carolina garden center.
Growing Our Roots in the Community
In March 2019, Winding Stair celebrated the nursery’s first anniversary and opened the Farmer’s Market Shop, where customers could buy seasonal produce and farm goods alongside their plants. In 2020, the brand new retail building was completed, offering an even better shopping experience for Macon County gardeners.
In March 2026, Winding Stair Farm was renamed Winding Stair Gardens.
We operate with a dedicated team of full-time, part-time, and seasonal staff working at the farm, nursery, and campground locations.
Amanda serves as General Manager, leading a team that shares her commitment to native plants and exceptional customer service.
What started as a weekend retreat has grown into Franklin’s premier independent garden center—a place where mountain gardening expertise, native plant knowledge, and neighborly service come together. It’s still a labor of love, just on a larger scale.