Serendipity Farm & Vine is Johnson County’s newest destination vineyard for events, wine tastings, live music, food and more. Located in Stilwell just east of the Overland Park Arboretum, it feels like a slice of heaven with its three rustic elegant barns and expansive breathtaking views of the land that’s planted with seven wine varietals made and enjoyed on property.
Serendipity is defined as the occurrence of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way and having good fortune, which is exactly why owner Amy Roberts picked this word to name her business—everything in her life brought her to Serendipity.
“For about 27 years I worked in a financial business helping build a business,” Amy says. “I did everything from making appointments, marketing, financial advising and paying bills. I realized I needed to make a change and do something true to myself. I started volunteering for SafeHome and then CASA, both nonprofits near to my heart. I really enjoy helping families and educating victims of domestic violence; however, I was still trying to figure out who I was as a person and find something that I could do for a career.”
Amy looked at businesses to buy and realized she liked building from the ground up: “I searched deep down in my soul and thought of the things that really make me happy—family and friends, the outdoors, hosting events and being creative. I just happened to be looking for land for my parents to be closer and ran across this property for sale with three barns and a few other structures. It wasn’t what they were looking to buy, but I loved it!”
Amy says she was fortunate to buy this property in August of 2019, which is why it’s called Serendipity Farm & Vine. “It was by chance that life brought me to this point to run across this land.”
Amy had a vision of what she wanted to do with the property and taught herself how to make her dream a reality.
“This land had everything but just needed some work and creativity,” she says. “I wasn’t sure if any of this could be possible, so before purchasing the land I researched and applied to be a Kansas Agritourism business. I had discussions with the county, an architect, engineers and both Kansas and the federal government liquor licensing department. It took a lot of hard work, time, help and research to figure out how to go about renovating barns, coming up with wine labels and going through the approval process. I really appreciate everyone who helped in this journey. My dad, Tabb, brought his knowledge of home winemaking, but I knew going from home to commercial winemaking would take a wine consultant, George Hoff of Stone Pillar Winery, to help us.”
In 2020 she planted approximately 3,500 vines with different varietals with friends and family. It was a labor of love. “We opened for weddings in June 2020 and the tasting room in November 2020 during the pandemic, which hasn’t made it very easy getting started. I luckily had my parents, Tabb and Joyce, and my kids, Garrett, Paige and Savannah, and friends helping out. I also hired an amazing team and tasting room manager, Kristen Werner. Kristen is very talented and writes the poems on the back of my wine labels. It really takes a village to make all this happen.”
If it's your first time visiting, expect friendly tasting room staff, a great variety of wines, delicious food and talented local musicians in an indoor and outdoor barn atmosphere surrounded by beautiful natural landscape. The Brown Barn is their largest venue with a wedding ceremony space, including a private space for the bridal party to get ready. Their winery and tasting room is found in the Green Barn, and the She Shed features four bedrooms, four baths and lounge space with luxurious accents, perfect for a girls getaway.
“My wine labels say, “A little piece of heaven came and landed from the sky.” This is what I think of this place—it’s a great place to gather with friends and family, have some great wine and food and get connected with each other again.”
Making an appearance on all their wine bottles and at the end of their business name is the monarch butterfly, which symbolizes transformation.
“The butterflies represent a change in my life—they start out as caterpillars, which transform into beautiful butterflies that show what they really are and spread their wings to fly.”
For women wanting to pursue their passions and start their own businesses, Amy says in all caps, “DON’T BE AFRAID! TAKE A CHANCE! If something goes wrong, or if you have a hurdle, get back up the next day and keep trying. Don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Live the best life you can without regrets! I want to show my two girls to be strong independent women—you can do what you want with hard work and dedication. You are never too old to learn something new.”
