Freya & The Sunflower Story ~ Part 3

The journey of Sunflower Seed Vintage has never been a straight line — it’s been a winding, dusty, sun-drenched road full of highs, lows, detours, and magic. And between 2023–2025, I probably faced my biggest challenge yet.

In 2023, I found myself sitting in $60,000 of business debt — money owed to both family and wholesalers. Among that debt was one of the best investments I’ve ever made: Sunny, my vintage van. A total game-changer. Sunny allowed me to finally hit the road the way I’d always dreamt of — expanding into new markets, showing up more often, and bringing Sunflower directly to the people.

Living four hours from the city means that markets don’t just happen on my doorstep. It’s a commitment. It’s driving for hours, often on very little sleep, setting up solo, pouring my heart into the stall, and then doing it all again. But it’s also where I feel most me. Over the last two market seasons (Sept–May), I’ve done over 100 markets — while still running my online store and stocking physical shops that align with the Sunflower vibe.

Let me tell you — I’ve never worked so hard in my life.

But slowly, slowly, things have started to shift.

I’m not out of the woods financially yet, but I’m bloody close. In 2025, I’ve been able to start stocking labels again, grow the vintage side of the biz into multiple brick-and-mortar stores, and keep chipping away at that mountain of debt.

This chapter has been gritty and real and full of lessons. It’s shown me that working for yourself isn’t linear. It’s an emotional rollercoaster. It’s dreaming big, burning out, rising again, shedding fear like dead skin, and taking wild leaps of faith. It’s choosing to believe in what you do so fiercely, that the thought of living any other way just doesn’t make sense.

Sunflower is still blooming — not in perfect rows, but wildly, rebelliously, and full of life.

Thanks for being part of the story. 🌻

With love,

Freya x