Have you discovered Hartmann Farmhouse located on the roundabout in the Redlands in the old bank building? If not, it is a treasure you will love to explore.
Dara and David Hartmann met during Dara’s last semester at the South Dakota School of Mines. She was studying Chemical Engineering and David was studying Civil Engineering. Two years later, they were married and searching for jobs in their chosen fields. Their job search landed them here in Grand Junction. They report that the Grand Valley instantly felt like home. They love the community and the good schools here. Their 3 children take after them and all have impressive stories.
Somewhere along the way, David was introduced to beekeeping by a neighbor. He enjoyed learning all he could from that neighbor, as well as diving into other resources, such as the local beekeeping guild, to learn more.
Several years ago, Dara had the opportunity to not need to work and was able to take a serious look at how she wanted to spend her time. One day, David came to her with a hunk of wax from the beehive. It seemed to her a pity to toss it out after watching all the work the bees did to create it. She learned how to make lip balm, and truly enjoyed the experience. It had so many similarities to being back in the lab. She began experimenting with lip balms and lotions. She would tweak the recipe and have friends try them out. Her friends gave her honest feedback and she continued to tweak the recipes until she got them just right.
With this newfound love, Dara opened Hartmann Farmhouse, a Bubble and Bee Boutique. She sells her cosmetics, but also local raw honey, clothing, home decor, and local art. They even have a Coffee Bar. She is looking forward to increasing her line of shampoo bars this year and hopes to be able to open an ice cream shop this year as well. The store has a sidewalk all the way to it, and they have a vision of it being a family-friendly shop that families can walk or bike to and just enjoy being together.