Document text
Dec. 20, 1938.
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Pace,
Route 1,
Hendersonville, N. C.
Luline L. Mabry, writer.
L.R. AND MRS. PACE
No names changed.
Luline L. Mabry, Rt. 5. Dec. 20 1938.
Hendersonville, v.
Mr. and Mrs. Pace,
mr. and 'Are. Raymond Pace, Rt. 1,
Hendersonville, C.
A sparkling little stream and a beautifully shaded ravine run-ing
through the six -acre farm of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Pace of Dana, N. C.,
garnish materials for a lucrative and enjoyable business which Mrs. Pace
establshed six years ago and which has now grown into an astonishing succ-
ess. It is the sarksti-g of miniature evergreen house gardens— small
bowls of tiny plants, fragile mosses of various hues, and wee red barrios
which she makes and sells in the Hendersonville curb market. They range
in price from 15,1, to 50' and find their way into the homes of many people
as table decorations of a lasting nature, as gifts to shut-ins, as Christ-
mas remembrances, and are also in great demand by aim restaurants and
hotels where they are used to center small tables.
Befve her marriage Mrs. Pace was Miss Daisy Justice, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. B. S. Justice. They have a 75 acre farm in the Dana section.
Mrs. Justice maintains a table of farm products and flowers next to her
daughter's stall in the curb market, whIle Mr. Justice, in additiDn to his
farm activities, sells farms and other real estate. Mr. Pace also has a
farm back ground, as his parents own a 50 acre farm and saw mill in the
Edneyville district.
"Soon after I was married: said Mrs. Pace, "I had an expensive sick-
ness-- a ruptured appendix and all that one means, wh,oh left us about
#500 in debt. That wasn't a very Eood start, so as soon as I was well I
thought of this tiny gardens idea, and I bought some small pottery bowls
and we began to search our woods and the ravine on our place for suitable
little plants to make them attractive I put them in the curb market and
I found ready sale for all I made. Now I not only sell lots of them to
tact 2.
patrons of. the markets bat I got wholesale orders, too. Just this winter
I had an order from the S W Cafeteria of Asheville for 85 little gardens
and I sold an order of 24 to the Home Food Shop of Hendersonville I've sold
more than l0 W since September.
"Hy husband works in Shipman LaCross Hosiery Hill, but on Saturday and
in all his spare time from his work he is busy hunt he little plants,
mosses and berries for my garden bowls We are working and saving to per
for our little farm, and we have some interesting plans for our future.
Were both so happy and contented in our work. Hy great -greet -grandfather,
James Dyer Justice, was one of the pioneers of Hendersonville. He helped
lay out its streets. There is an enlarged picture of him hang4ng among
others in our Court Rouse. The deeds to our land and that of ay father and
mother have never borneanr other name than ours. The little four -room
house we live in on our six acres is more than 100 years old, and it has the
original chimney and the loft is hand-hewn. The sills are put together with
wooden pegs. During the tourist seasons we have lots of visitors from all
parts of the oountry who have heard about the old house and have come asking
to see it. So it is our ambition to build ourselves a new and larger
house and move our ancient landmark to one side, and restore it as nearly
as we can to its original appearance and keep it as a eherrished anticue,
both for sentiment and as an attraction to visitors. We are thinking of
borrowing the money for the new house and furnishing it to rent by the season
to tourists who may prove desirable. In this way;rcould still live as we do
now and apply our rental money on our loan. By saving systematically all we
can out of our earnings we could pay back the money we borrow and then live
in the new house ourselves after a fev years of renting it. This is only
our dream but if we continue to prosper and to keep our health we believe
that we can do it.
race 3.
"My great grandmother used to live in our present house. She was
Dr. Polly Justice and she was the first licenced woman doctor in this part
of the country. Her husband stayed at home and did the work and raised
their children while she rode horseback calling on the sick. She answered
calls day and night. She had a trustworthy horse that never hesitated to
ford a stream Argo wherever she directed. One of our dearest family
possessions is an old photograph of great grandmother on one of her faith
ful horses. She has her medicine caste strapped on her back in the picture
and that's the way she always, carried it. No call was too far sway and no
weather was too bad for her to make a trip to a sick person's ho
Somehow we find an extra pleasure in hunting out these delicate little
grey and green and red mosses and the other tiny gifts of nature that go
into my little house gardens and which are helping us to my for our little
place and so keep it in the family. We have a very deep well with a bottom
of solid rock and the water comes up from this well as cold as ice. We've
put in electricity, too, and our little home is dear and comfortable formes*
just the two of us.
Ire. Pace's smart dark.. red felt bat over her well out short hair of
medium blonde shade, her plaid woolen scarf and the maroon sweeter suit over
which she wears a winter cost of black cloth, her well cared for hands and
her intelligent conversation, her vital interest in everything, all testify
to a modern successful and happy woman interested in her business of an
original and delightrul nature. A ready smile greets, customers and her
selling ability equals the attractions of her wares.
Continued Mrs. Paces I give away lots of my little gardens, too,
especially at Christmas time, because I just like folks, and I have lots of
friends that can't afford to buy them. I'm greatly interested in our
Pace 4.
church. Refuge Haptiete which is very old, too. We had our 100th
anniversary in the fall of 1916. I'm clerk and secretary and for that
occasion I wrote the history of the old church which was printed in a
Hendersonville paper at that time. RY grandfather wee one of it,
founders. My husband doesn't drink and with both of us working we can
afford to give liberally to our church and we take an active part in its
services.
'Besides my 11 Ic gardens have a fine collection of dahliaa and Iem*
adding to it every year. I bagel) with just one bushel of bulbs and now
I have 25 bushels to sell. I ship them to many tourists in different
etates who are visiting in Hendersonville in the sum ore and they see my
flowers and give me orders for the bulbs to be sent them at the proper
tixe. Most of my shipments go to people in Florida, though. This
brings me a nice addition to my income from the little bowls of ever-
greens which I sell during the fall and winter. I have all sorts and
coins of dahlias from the tiny pom-poes to flowers as large as saucers.
'Many in March we prepare seed beds and I raise worlds of flower
plants under glass cloth and sell them by the dozen here in the market
I always raise petunias, scarlet sego, asters, and other small and pop-
ular flowers and mine are early, too. We make our own glass cloth and
last year from one bed I sold eno.Igh to cover the entire expense of all
the others. At one time I bought 420 worth of flower seeds.
"We have no children, but we both agree that the else of a family
ought to depend upon the income of the parents. It isn't riEht for
poop' to have more 'Children than they can take care of and educate. I
had 12 years of schooling altogether. 1 finished high school and then
took a post graduate business course. I think the school system of
-Patel 5.
to are V7 good and that every boy and girl should go through high
school no matter what they may want to do afterward* We believe in
getting a home first of all after marriage and that'5 what we've beenxim
working for. Of course a ear is a neessaRity to us because my husband has
to go to his work and I have to go to mine three day* every week. Then I
buy most of .my bowls for this business in Asheville and market some of my
things there, so I have to g0 there quite often. With my business grown
so much. larger I have to buy in wholesale lots now. After we had finished
paying for my sickness we started buying our little six acre place and we
are gradually getting it paid for. We have a nice garden every summer and
I always can between no and 300 quarts or vegetables and fruibs for our
own use. Still it takes about $50 a month for us to meet all our obli-
gations and expenses. We feel that we are just plain everyidey decent
folks paying our bills, doing our church work, earning our living with
honest effort. We both vote and we vote quite independently of each other.
I never ask anyone how I Should vote for I can read and think for myself
and my husband does the same way I guess.
*I believe within the past year or so the churches seem to be more
alive and feel more keenly, the need of religion in an unhappy and wicked
world. I don't know how it is in other eountries where there is so much
trouble and unrest, but I think the churches of our country are certainly
putting forth more effort to teach people the right things. I never dewed
but I used to go to the pictures sometimes. Wow we don't spend our money
that way because we're all wrapped up in our dreams for the future and it
will take constant saving if we are to realise these ambitions we have.
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