"When we moved to Fredericksburg, the thing to do at night was to walk Main Street," recalled Sylvia. "Bill and I began walking Main Street at night trying to develop ideas for a niche. What seemed to really jell for both of us was the idea of a natural toiletries shop for men and women."

Years earlier, when the two were dating, Bill often pampered Sylvia with gifts such as violet cologne, rose bubble bath and lavender bath salts. Sylvia realized that there was nothing in Fredericksburg that offered a selection of luxury bath and body products.

"We decided to stick to the really nice, Old World companies like Crabtree & Evelyn and Caswell Massey," said Sylvia. "At the back of our first shop there was a small garden, and Bill just can't leave property alone. You always know when a Varney's been somewhere, because the property will be improved."

Bill worked at the nursery for about nine more months, and during that time Sylvia managed the day-to-day tasks of running the new shop. They began to grow lavender, rosemary, antique roses and other herbs in the garden in the back of the shop, and a funny thing began to happen.

"We found that there was more and more interest in what was going on in the garden, rather than what was going on in the shop," said Sylvia. "It was such a beautiful marriage, that one dove-tailed into the other — it was really a nice synergy.

"In order to have an abundant garden, of course, you've got to harvest it. Bill began harvesting it and bringing it home. He would say, 'Well, Syl, now what do we do with this?' So, what do you do? We did a lot of intense self-education, and I found that the best way to educate myself about herbs and using them in a product-oriented sense was to write about them."

She began writing a weekly column, called "Making Sense of Herbs," for the local weekly paper, to educate herself about herbs. She and her husband began an aggressive attempt to visit businesses in other parts of the country that used herbs. While visiting her parents in new England, they visited many herb farms. Sylvia became excited about the varied uses for herbs, and at one point during their visit, they dined at a restaurant that used herbs in every dish, from appetizers to dessert.

"It was just like an epiphany to me," she said. "I saw what we could really do. And, so, we came home and began to teach community education classes on herbs."

The classes were overwhelmingly successful. Sylvia admits that, initially, it was quite a challenge to integrate unknown herbs into day-to-day cooking. Her clients were comfortable with the old stand-bys, such as as parsley, basil and tarragon, but they were not accustomed to utilizing flowers and other less-familiar herbs in cooking and baking.

"I've always been thrilled with the symbolism and the history of herbs and integrating them into a lifestyle approach, so that people would see that lavender's beauty didn't come about on its own, that there's a possibility that Mary used it to bathe," she said. "It's become symbolic of cleanliness and purity. I took that angle, so people were given a very well-rounded approach."

The popularity of the vinegars, herbs, potpourri, seasonings and teas Sylvia created was skyrocketing. The Varneys began to direct their efforts at increasing the size of their business. Eventually their focused marketing efforts paid off. They joined the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade in 1991 and entered one of their gourmet products, and edible-flowers herb vinegar. It won first place, and The Fredericksburg Herb Farm burgeoned. Since winning the NASFT award, the number of employees has almost doubled, from 15 to 27.

"That (the NASFT award) literally turned us from a very small mom-and-pop operation to a huge business," said Varney. "Last year our sales almost reached a million dollars. That was a major turning point for us because we literally captured the world. We went to New York City and accepted the award. There were thousands and thousands of people at that show who presented their products and placed wholesale orders. We received so many wholesale orders that we were not able to fill them all. We didn't have the gardens established here at that time."

Soon after the 1991 show, the Varneys purchased four acres in town so that they could create a larger garden. The property houses the gardens as well as several shops, including a day spa, and their home. Eventually they purchased 10 more acres adjacent to the original four, for future expansion.

"Timing is everything," stated Sylvia. "I really believe we were blessed by God, as far as hitting an area of growth, a business area that could be entered into with not a whole lot of money. I think we started the business with about $7,000."

Sylvia notes that many people made their success possible, and she cites her parents, friends and "a lot of angels."

"We couldn't have possibly done it on our own without a lot of wonderful people coming into our lives," said Sylvia. "People were so supportive — emotionally, spiritually and financially. A lot of people cared enough about our business to say, 'I will loan you the money," when the banks were not willing."

Sylvia also credits her degree from Texas Tech for some of her success. After receiving her bachelor's degree from Rice University, she initially decided to attend law school. At the time, both of her parents taught at Texas Tech, so she decided to move to Lubbock to pursue her law degree. But, as it turned out, law school was not for her.

"The main complaint in law school was that my briefs were very passionate, dramatic episodes," she said. "The professors would write back and say, "This is not what we need. It needs to be sharper and more concise. Take out all the adjectives."

Varney said the criticism hurt, but it forced her step back and look at what her strengths were. She decided instead to seek a master's degree in business.

"I think it (business school) gave me the structure and the basis to start," she said. "When the bank needs the profit and loss statement, I know what they[re talking about. I know how to ask a lot of good questions and to question things a little bit more intelligently. I learned how to be more disciplined."

Sylvia has been able to put her eloquent writing skills, which were honed in business school, to use. She writes all of the copy that accompanies each product, and she produces a quarterly newsletter called Farm Family that educated readers for the home, capabilities for the home, garden, kitchen and bath. As if the classes, newsletter, constant product development and herb gardening weren't enough, the varneys have written two books: "Along the Garden Path," and, most recently, "Herbs: Growing and Using the Plants of Romance," which was released in 1998 and won a Benjamin Franklin Award from the Publishers Marketing Association. The award-winning book covers herbs from A to Z. There is a glossary of herb and gardening terms, as well as recipes and uses for herbs in the home.

The Fredericksburg Herb Farm is much more than just books and herbal products; it really offers something for everyone. In addition to a bed and breakfast, there is the Quiet Haus, an aromatherapeutic day soap, offering massage therapy and natural skin care treatment. While touring the farm, many visitors take the opportunity to partake of an herbal lunch, homemade and generally centered around seasonal ingredients — Pesto Turkey Wrap, Rosemary Black Buck Antelope Burger, Cheddar and Chive Tomato Pie or iced tea with fresh mint and lemonade with lemon verbena. A walk through The Fredericksburg Herb Farm will convince you that this is more than just a place to learn — it is a place that refreshes and inspires the soul.

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