November 13, 2025
Meet Sophia: The Heart Behind Willow & Daisies Apothecary and Ellie’s Country Stand
Her journey as a business owner began in 2020, shortly after welcoming her identical twin daughters during the height of COVID. What could have been an overwhelming chapter instead became the spark that lit a new path. “I needed something healthy and life-giving to pour my soul into during dark times,” she said. That spark grew again in 2024 after the birth of her youngest, Rune, when she opened Ellie’s Country Stand—a place where her love of baking and community blends seamlessly.
For Sophia, success isn’t marked by numbers or sales charts. She celebrates her wins by packing up the kids, hitting the road, and showing them that life extends far beyond work. As she puts it, “I became a business owner so I could be involved in my children’s lives, be present in my marriage, and have the freedom to express my creativity.”
The drive behind her businesses grew from a desire for autonomy—a need to step into her own skills and serve her community in ways a traditional job never allowed. “I was tired of not seeing my kids, tired of missing my husband, and tired of having to ask for time to be with them,” she said. Today, she’s there for every moment: big emotions, new lessons, and quiet adventures.
Sophia’s roots run deep in Kitsap. Growing up in Kingston off and on before planting permanent roots in 2008, she has poured her knowledge into the very people she grew up alongside. With training as a lactation counselor, doula, and childbirth educator, she volunteers her time to support local families. She cooks for neighbors in need and uses her herbal knowledge to help those who feel unseen by traditional medicine. “My roots have grown far,” she reflects — and the community can feel it.
Starting a business wasn’t simple. With nothing but careful planning and $800 saved from pinching pennies, she bought her license, her insurance, and her first materials. Years later, navigating cottage food laws—and tribal regulations—while opening the Country Stand proved just as challenging. But like everything else, she found her footing with determination, patience, and high standards.
Her favorite item to make? Cookies—simple, nostalgic, “grandma’s kitchen” cookies. She laughs at not being a decorator, but she doesn’t need to be. Her passion lies in the feeling a warm cookie gives you: comfort, safety, childhood sweetness. The same warmth flows through her herbal products. Whether it’s a tenth jar of magnesium cream or someone connecting the dots that their favorite candle maker is also the creator of their favorite muffins, Sophia delights in the versatility her businesses offer.
Looking forward, she’s excited to launch Ellie’s Country Crate—a weekly delivery of baked goods, nourishing meals, and eggs from her well-loved chickens, blending both of her businesses into something that feeds both body and soul. She also dreams of expanding into event planning for cozy, intimate gatherings, a natural next step for someone who creates comfort so effortlessly.
Her business anniversary is September 12, 2024—a milestone marking more than growth. It symbolizes the home she’s built, the passion she pours into her work, and the balance she guards fiercely. Boundaries, she says, aren’t about limiting work—they’re about remembering why she started. She begins after breakfast, ends before nap time, and lets her children join the process. Life lessons happen between batches of dough and moments of quiet creativity.
She’s proudest of creating spaces that feel loved, businesses that feel intentional, and a home where passion and practicality coexist. Her best clients are the ones who stop and chat in her driveway, support her work, and spread the word. Community, she believes, can make or break you—and kindness matters more than anything.
Her dreams for the future include partnering with local businesses, hosting small events, and expanding her reach—without ever losing the freedom she’s built. And when she’s not working, you’ll find her hiking deep into the woods with her family or tucked away playing escape room games with her husband. Her self-care is simple: kids in bed at 7 p.m., a hot bath, and a book shared aloud with the man she loves.
Sophia draws inspiration from women like Dolly Parton, Lily Lou Tay, and Reese Witherspoon—women who lead with integrity, love, creativity, and grit. And just like them, Sophia has forged a path uniquely her own. She once hated baking. Today, it’s part of the heartbeat of her business. She was told she might never have children. Now she has six. She was born with a mind fit for the sciences, but chose instead to become a baker, an herbalist, a doula, a lactation counselor, an Indigenous childbirth educator, and above all—a mom.
And for me, this story hits home. I’ve known Sophia her entire life. My dad grew up with her grandma and uncles—they were the “Kingston crew,” friendships her aunties and I grew up close and I always looked up to her mom, she was older and mysterious and I always wanted to be cool like her, built through generations of shared dirt roads, bon fires at the Kingston slough, and community belonging. Now Sophia is raising the fifth generation here. It’s an honor to witness her journey: watching her raise her babies, watching her fold her love for baking into the community that raised us all, watching her carry on the kind of deep-rooted legacy that only small towns truly understand. To say I am proud of the women this little girl we all knew grow into is an understatement
Sophia has her hands—and her heart—full. But in the most beautiful way.
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