Bedford Farms
M A X & N I C O L E A P TO N ...T H E YO U N G C O U P L E R E I N V E N T I N G THE 80-YEAR-OLD BEDFORD NURSERY AS Bedford Farms…
Meet Max and Nicole Apton, and their one-year-old daughter, Romy. Together, they’re the new owners of the Bedford Nursery, located at 235 Greenwich Road in Bedford, and they’re re-opening the community staple under the new name, Bedford Farms.
Max grew up in Armonk and went to Byram Hills High School. Nicole was raised in Katonah and is a graduate of John Jay. The couple married in the spring of 2023 and although they couldn’t have known Bedford Nursery would be coming up for sale, they have long dreamed of running a family business.
Max began his career in horticulture right out of college– working a string of seasonal jobs on vegetable farms from Hawaii to Vermont. But it wasn’t until landing the exciting role of Vegetable Field Manager at Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture– the farm best known for supplying produce to the prestigious restaurant, Blue Hill– that Max began setting roots in the world of Westchester County horticulture. In 2015, Max launched his first solo business with the mission of helping homeowners grow vegetables in their backyards. That business grew and evolved into what is today Sweet Clover Design, a bustling, full service landscape design firm specializing in eco-friendly gardens and plantings.
So it only made sense when the Bedford Nursery came up for sale, “...we decided to go all in!” Max beams. “It took a lot of back-and-forth with the sellers, but we finally closed in August 2023. The garden center business really compliments my landscape design business,” Max explains.
“Bedford Farms is a great way for me to attract new clients, and now with an expanded network of growers and suppliers, I’m excited to offer our customers a greater variety of high quality plant material.”
“But our biggest motivator for buying the business,” Max continues, “is our vision to make Bedford Farms into much more than a great retail nursery! We feel like we’re renovating a community space, and want to provide our town with more than just a place to buy their plants and garden supplies. We’re working on updating all the existing infrastructure, breaking ground on a beautiful new sales barn, and improving a lot of the 9-acre property to accommodate a variety of new offerings. In addition to a curated selection of flowering plants, shrubs, trees and native species, we’ll have fresh organic vegetables, flower bouquets and an assortment of high quality foods sourced from local purveyors and artisans. Our gift shop will also be stocked with thoughtful items that make perfect hostess gifts. What’s more, we will also be offering an assortment of fun classes such as floral design, wreath making, vegetable gardening lessons, and seasonal events like Easter egg hunts and pumpkin painting.”
“ We want people in the community to feel like Bedford Farms is a fun and inviting place to stop by,” Max says. “Whether it’s for that hard-to-find perennial, a cup of coffee, a fresh cut bouquet of flowers or just a stroll in the gardens.”
Max and Nicole’s excitement is palpable as they discuss their plans for the nursery. A longtime student of architecture and design, Nicole has been guiding the vision for many of the site improvements. “It’s a big investment but we think it’ll all be worth it!” Nicole says. “The property was really in need of some TLC when we bought it but things are already coming together nicely. Even though we only opened around Labor Day last summer, we had a really great fall season and had a blast hosting a pumpkin painting party in our pumpkin patch, and a B&NC Mag festive fall event.”
The Bedford Farms acreage is a beautiful, sunny parcel which lends itself nicely to kid-friendly events. A flat field adjacent to Bedford Farms’ parking lot doubles as a showroom for their vibrant inventory of colorful plants as well as a picnic area perfect for finding a hidden Easter egg or hand picking the ideal Christmas tree come the holiday season.
“Everything about Bedford Farms just feels right!” Nicole says joyfully. “I love that Max and I are ‘back home’ where we both grew up and that we’re going to raise our daughter here in Bedford. I love that our child is going to grow up living, quite literally, in a garden. And I’m thrilled to have found a business that’s a hub for the community!”
The all new, 80-year-old Bedford Farms will be in full swing this spring.
Bedford Farms is located at 235 Greenwich Road and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am - 5pm.
