Purple Haze Lavender owner puts farm up for sale, says he’s ready to retire, travel

By Matthew Nash

Olympic Peninsula News Group

SEQUIM — One of Sequim’s most iconic lavender farms, Purple Haze Lavender LTD, 180 Bell Bottom Road, is up for sale.

Brokers Mike Schmidt and Alan Burwell with Windermere Sunland listed the 7.21-acre organic lavender farm June 15 for $3.25 million.

The farm’s owner, Mike Reichner, 71, said he’s been considering a sale for about three years.

“I have a new knee, my back is fused, but it’s exciting to retire,” he said. “I want to wake up and not have this be my driver.”

Reichner, a retired state park ranger, asked to be interviewed in his brand-new Forester motor home, saying “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

In his days ahead, he plans to travel much more with his wife, Rosalind.

“The goal is to sleep in till 6 a.m.,” Reichner said.

He also wants to make sure he’s crossing off his bucket list, too.

“It’s the perfect thing for us,” Reichner said. “I wanted to make sure there wasn’t any miscommunication, too.”

Farm manager Jose Franco and general manager Vickie Oen have worked for the farm 18 and 17 years, respectively, and they were told about the sale a few months ago.

“He’s loved it so much over the years,” Oen said. “It’s part of who he is, but he’s leaving it in a good place.”

Reichner helped start the Sequim Lavender Festival before branching out to participate in the Sequim Lavender Farm Faire & Tour and eventually his own event, Purple Haze Daze, going into its third year July 21-23.

He remembers about 200 people coming and buying lavender from his front porch his first year.

“I was thrilled,” he said. “I remember planting 19 plants with no clue in spring 1995.”

In the years since, Reichner and other early lavender farmers helped solidify lavender as an agri-tourism market.

Along with its storied history, the sale includes the farm’s 15,000 lavender plants in 50 varieties, a three-bedroom, two-bath farmhouse, the Purple Haze Lavender trademark name, the drying shed/farm store, the downtown store in leased space, the farm’s equipment, a 400-gallon distiller and about 40 different Purple Haze Lavender products.

They’ve also added weddings, which they’ve booked through the blooming season through 2018.

New owners have the option to lease about 4 acres of lavender from Reichner and his son, Jake, too.

“We had a little slump with the economy in 2007, but last year was our best year ever,” Reichner said.

“People who get this are going to do pretty well.”

Reichner feels lavender really took off after an interview appeared in Forbes magazine online and radio host Paul Harvey talked about turning the plant into a business in 1998.

“A friend of mine, Brian Berg, called me to tell me he heard my name on ‘The Paul Harvey Show,’ ” he said.

“I listened to the program the rest of the day. It went topsy-turvy after that.”

Oen said clientele has shifted in recent years from mostly women in their 60s to include young families and 20-somethings.

“This can absolutely remain successful going forward,” she said.

While farm managers have added and made changes as needed, Oen said there’s a customer base that’s going to come back regardless.

“There are people who like to come and enjoy the comforts of coming back year after year and enjoying the same things like lavender ice cream,” she said.

One of Reichner’s favorite parts about the farm is interacting with new people daily.

“I like walking around every day and having people tell me how beautiful my place is,” he said.

Reichner also said his farm and others have helped contribute to Sequim in many ways.

“The community has been good to us,” he said. “We’ve given and given and they’ve given back.”

“[Lavender] gave our town a new addition to its agricultural identity,” Oen said.

Despite the farm going on the market at the beginning of its busiest season, Reichner said it’s not a fire sale.

“We know there are people out there who are energetic, qualified and interested,” he said.

For the Purple Haze Daze during Sequim Lavender Weekend, set this year for July 21-23, and through the summer, Oen said everything will remain status quo. Purple Haze Daze costs $10 per person online or $12 at the gate for all three days of the lavender weekend, which features live music from Geoffrey Castle, Creme Tangerine and Blake Noble as well as food and drinks.

On average, farm managers hire 10 to 12 seasonal employees, Oen said, and keep four staffers through the winter.

Oen said she would like to stay on through a sale if possible and that in her time with the farm, she’s “proud that I’ve been able to keep the wheels spinning so that the farm keeps a positive vibe.”

For more information on Purple Haze Lavender Farm, call 360-582-1131 or visit www.purplehazelavender.com. For more information on Sequim Lavender Weekend, visit www.sequimlavenderweekend.com.

For more information on the real estate listing, call 360-683-6880 or visit sequim-sunland.windermere.com.

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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.