This time last year, for the first time in 12 years, Vivian Simons didn’t believe her beloved Weston farmstand, Viv’s Veggies, would come back for the 2025 season. She was grieving the loss of her father, and taking on a season at the farm seemed like too much. “It’s a full-time commitment,” Viv tells Westport Lifestyle. “And I usually lose money here. I work so hard, and every penny I make goes to paying the staff.”
Viv, was, of course, prepared for some disappointment from community members, but there was one text she couldn’t bring herself to answer. The message was from Paige Lorenze, 27, the founder and creative director of Dairy Boy and American Charm, and a content creator with over a million followers on Instagram. It just read “when are you opening?” “I didn’t reply at first,” Viv admits. Paige and Viv had met a few years back when Paige, a Connecticut native, first stopped by Viv’s Veggies. “I have always loved taking photos of the farm, because I always thought it held so much beauty,” Paige tells Westport Lifestyle. “I couldn’t help myself from capturing content there. It was just so beautiful, I wanted to share it with my community. I’ve always been drawn to places that feel special, and the farm had that magic right away.” Viv was dreading telling Paige about the closure. A few weeks later, Paige asked again about the reopening date, and this time, Viv finally responded. “I don’t think I’m going to open this year.”
Twenty minutes later, Paige called. “She said, ‘Viv, I’m gonna help you.’”
Paige says when she got that text, “my heart honestly sank. The farm had already become such a special place to me, especially when I first moved back to Connecticut. It made me feel part of a community right away in a new town.” An avid gardener herself, Paige says “the idea of it not being a big part of my summer felt unthinkable, since I was going every weekend and enjoying the produce so much. I knew how much it meant to Viv, to me, and to so many others. Stepping in didn’t feel like a decision I had to weigh, honestly. It felt natural, something I wanted and needed to do. It was a chance to protect something beautiful while opening it up for even more people to experience.”
And so, along with her fiancé, tennis phenom Tommy Paul, she got right to work, cleaning up the farm, building new shelving units, a new, air-conditioned shed to store vegetables in at night, and a new potting shed for the flowers. It’s breathed new life into the operation, now known as The Farmstand by Dairy Boy + Viv’s Veggies. “I loved every part of [the restoration],” Paige says. “But what stands out the most is getting to bring in those small, thoughtful details that make a space come alive again. From choosing colors to arranging displays and rolling up my sleeves to help bring it all together, it was so rewarding.” For Viv, who admits she is “only on Facebook,” seeing a whole new generation discover her farm through Paige’s social media reach has been nothing short of moving. (Some visitors, she says, stop by just to take a photo with the Dairy Boy-branded sign!) And while it’s been exciting to meet new customers, hearing from longtime ones is moving, too. “The moments that stay with me most are when people get emotional talking about The Farmstand, and how it’s been part of their core memories growing up here,” says Paige. “That means everything to me, because community is at the heart of why I do what I do. Knowing that others feel the same way I do about this place makes it all the more special.”
As their first official season as partners wraps up, Paige and Viv are full of gratitude.“I feel so lucky,” says Viv. “I feel like my dad is watching over me: Paige called, and all these really good things started happening.” Not least of which was the friendship between these two extraordinary women. “I’m most grateful for the friendship and trust that has grown,” says Paige. “Viv has become such a meaningful part of my life, and what we’ve built together is about so much more than saving a farm. It’s about creating something lasting, rooted in love and community, and being able to share that with others. A partnership where your values and your heart are in complete alignment is such a gift, and I’ll always cherish that.”
The Farmstand is located at 235 Lyons Plain Road in Weston, open weekends and Wednesdays 12-5 p.m. until the first hard frost. Follow Paige @paigelorenze and The Farmstand @thefarmstand