Mainely Blooms: Katie and Cody Sherer
- Brick + Tides
- Oct 8
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 27
Three Generations on the Same Patch of Maine Soil
Here on a long, humming stretch of Route 1 in Arundel, a family’s land has been put to work for three generations—and three entirely different businesses. That continuity is the quiet power behind Mainely Blooms, the perennial nursery and flower farm owned by Cody and Katie Sherer at 1903 Portland Road in Arundel, Maine.
Long before rows of mums, specialty pumpkins, and trays of seedlings filled the property, it was home to Ten Acre Cabins, a small campground Katie’s grandparents ran in the 1960s and ’70s. Tourists paid just a few dollars a night while Katie’s father, then a teenager, cleaned and turned over the cabins. Today, her father’s pest control company operates on the same property. And now, in Cody and Katie’s hands, the same acreage has blossomed again — this time into a thriving, year-round flower business.
Growing Up on the Family Grounds
Katie grew up with this land as her playground and compass. Her grandparents lived in the front house—where she and Cody now live—while her parents lived farther back. “A few hundred feet back there is a duplex,” she says. “My sister and her husband live on one side. Two of my best friends live on the other.” It’s a modern-day family homestead, a mix of roots and new growth.
As a child, she and her sister would walk the long driveway between houses, stopping halfway at a little wishing well, where her grandmother would meet them. “We were just free children out here,” she says. “Running around, playing in the mud… I grew up surrounded by family. It was just really a fun childhood.”
The old cabins still stand—one renovated, another repurposed for growing space—linking the family’s past to its present. “From an agricultural perspective,” Cody says, “the land hadn’t been worked aside from personal gardens, until 2018.” Now, the same property that once welcomed summer tourists is growing life from seed again.
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Mainely Blooms: A Business Born from a Roadside Table
Mainely Blooms began not with a business plan, but with a folding table and a handful of sunflower seeds. In 2018, Cody (the founder of Mainely Blooms), who grew up in Saco, was working in real estate and looking for extra income. “I kind of dabbled in starting my own plants,” he recalls. “I grew a few annuals, some sunflowers, and put a little rickety table out by the side of the road—sold sunflower bouquets and a variety or two of potted plants for just $2 a pot.”
He sold a few. Then he sold a few more. The next year, he built a small farm stand with help from both his father and father-in-law. “2019 was the first year we opened,” he says. “It was August 12th.” The grand opening came late and humble—just a few pallets of perennials, a shed full of promise—but the seed had taken root.
The Right Place at the Right Time
Arundel proved to be the perfect setting. The property’s visibility on busy Route 1—between Biddeford and Kennebunk—make it accessible to both locals and tourists. “There’s tourists, there’s locals,” Katie says. I tell people, "Arundel’s up and coming. It really is.”
When the pandemic hit, their self-service setup became an unlikely advantage. “The business was self-service at start, so that actually kind of benefited us during COVID,” Cody explains. “People came because they didn’t have to interact with someone face-to-face.” Even then, he was out front, answering questions, chatting, building relationships one driveway conversation at a time.
A Partnership in Bloom
By 2021, Katie officially joined full-time, leaving her job with her father’s company to help Cody run the growing enterprise. “She’s the person that runs the store,” Cody says. “And I’m the person that manages the farm and the logistics.” The division of labor clicked.
Together, they expanded Mainely Blooms’ offerings from half a dozen perennial varieties to well over 200 varieties of flowering plants. What began as a side project of cut flowers evolved into a full perennial nursery and flower farm. “ While the business was started primarily on cut flowers, the perennials and potted plants really took over and began to steal the spotlight," Cody says.
From Seed to Season
Mainely Blooms is a DIY operation in the best sense of the word. In late winter, Cody and Katie plant all of their cut flowers from seed and many of their perennial starts in a custom-built “grow cabin”—not a greenhouse, but a compact, vertical system with shelves stacked high with trays. “We could have a tray that has anywhere from 50 to 200 plants on it,” he explains. “In the room itself we can fit about 10,000 plugs.”
While the cultivation and overwinering of perennials in the ground begins the previous season, the first seeds of the year are planted February 1st, long before spring has even hinted at arriving. By mid-April, the nursery is open, running through Halloween before transforming into a holiday destination for trees, wreaths, and garlands. Last year, they ordered 320 Premium Balsam Christmas trees; this year, over 500. “Even more garland, all the fun,” Cody says with a grin. Their porch displays—mums, cornstalks, and pumpkins—are practically local landmarks. Katie’s favorites are always the pops of color: “A pink jumbo mum, a couple cornstalks, hay bale, ornamental peppers. Those are pretty cute… Just color. A lot of color and everything. That’s what I like.”
The Heart Behind the Hustle
The Sherers’ success has roots deeper than business savvy. For Cody, it was personal renewal. After leaving nursing school and tiring of real estate, he found purpose again in growing something tangible.. “I was torn on what I wanted to do in life, kind of like who I was as a person… I felt a little lost.”
Katie helped him steady. “The one thing that got me through the worst days and times was Katie,” he says. His early dream was modest—if Mainely Blooms could support one person within ten years, he’d consider it a resounding success. Three years later, it supported them both.
Maine Roots, Maine Rhythms
Ask the Sherers where they go to recharge, and their map of Maine unfolds quickly. “For the first time as a couple, we actually went up to Acadia this year,” Cody says. “If you have two or three days to spend in Maine, you’ve got to make it up to Acadia.” Closer to home, they love the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust trails, and the simple joy of “going down to the Drakes Island jetty and getting in a little bit of fishing.”
Cody’s food guide is pure southern Maine: The Steakhouse in Wells for killer food at a great price (“Great service, too”), The Village Tavern in Kennebunk for a classic evening out, and Harmon’s Lunch in Falmouth for “the best burger and fries you’ll have in Maine, hands down..”
Looking Ahead: Growth with Intention
The Sherers have expansion on their minds—but it’s thoughtful, deliberate growth. “We’re not really sure when we’re going to stop expanding,” Cody and Katie say with a laugh. Greenhouses—“not one, but several”—are part of the plan. So is a small retail storefront for gardening tools, soil, and fertilizers. “Who knows, in 20 years, we could be two times the size or ten times the size,” he says. “We’re having too much fun with it. There’s too much potential.”
The couple also dreams of something more - a mini botanical garden for visitors to enjoy without any pressure to buy. “Every day we have customers stop just to meander around and look at the plants,” she says. “Why not make something even more aesthetic and purposeful for that?”
Advice from the Growers
The Sherers’ philosophy is as practical as it is poetic. Katie’s advice to customers is straightforward: "Understanding a given variety of plant starts with reading the tag and learning about its most basic needs. Your plant will thrive if given the proper care and growing conditions."
Cody’s golden rule fits on a single line: “Observation. You need to pay attention to your gardens and pay attention to your plants because they’ll tell you what they need and they’ll tell you when they’re not happy.” It’s a mindset that works for plants, people, and small businesses alike.
A Living Legacy on Portland Road
By dusk, the light slants through the trees above the old cabins. Emmy—the couple’s 125-pound black potbelly pig—has wandered down the drive, content in her role as unofficial mascot. Customers drift away carrying porch color and garden inspiration; the Sherers tidy displays, take notes, and plan for tomorrow.
On this same patch of land, three generations have found three different ways to work and welcome people. What began as a handful of rustic cabins and a teenager cleaning rooms has evolved into a family homestead and one of Arundel’s most charming small businesses.
Mainely Blooms isn’t just a flower farm—it’s an heirloom, a story told in soil. Each spring, new life unfurls over old ground, and the Sherers keep nurturing the same simple vision that started it all: to grow something beautiful, together.
Visit Mainely Blooms at 1903 Portland Road, Arundel, Maine.
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