Lake James Lavender Company

The Lake James Lavender Company

The Lake James Lavender Company is literally phenomenal.

There are approximately 6,500 lavender plants on site and the main variety is actually named Phenomenal.

The new Steuben County business is owned by Jamie Gryder Stein and her husband Darian Stein. In the spring of 2024, after visiting lavender farms in Michigan and falling in love with the fields, Jamie and Darian began planting lavender at the Bayview Road location. “I’ve always gardened and my husband has some farming experience,” Jamie said. “We started tilling the land and the prep work was very hard-we had lots of big rocks out here.” They learned about soil health, watched hundreds of YouTube videos, put fabric down and created a tool to make the lavender rows perfectly spaced and straight. “This has been a labor of love for us as well as our property manager Jodi Blanton,” Jamie said.

Once you’ve taken in the beautiful lavender fields, visit the lavender lifestyle store. Inside you’ll find candles, tallow creams, jewelry, soaps, sugar scrubs, body oils and a luxury sleep line. Fresh lavender bundles are sold on a cart in front of the store.

Jamie said she enjoys partnering with other local businesses. Good Times Horticulture Co. assists with the landscaping and will be creating a pollinator garden next spring while Lakeside Farm Market provides suet for the tallow creams. Various paintings by local artist Fred Doloresco are displayed in the store and prints of his recent creation featuring the lavender fields are on sale.

Plans are in the works for holiday open houses between Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as offering rental space for wedding showers and small events. Yoga and meditation classes are planned for Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings. (Follow Lake James Lavender Company on Facebook for a schedule.)

The Lake James Lavender Company is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday through Labor Day. Select products are available for purchase online.

“Our goal is for everyone who comes through here to leave a little more peaceful than when they arrived,” Jamie said. “Lavender brings happiness to people.”