With Valentine's Day just around the corner I thought this week would be the perfect time to share our Small Business Series shoot of quite possibly the most adorable little gift and flower shop in town, Dutch Floral & Home. And it is run by quite possibly two of the most talented ladies in town, Lindsay Gibson & Kelly Long. Lindsay & Kelly opened Dutch in the later half of 2013, but their friendship and working relationship started long before they opened Dutch's cute little orange door. Kelly is the artist behind Poppy Lane Design and Lindsay behind Gibson Events. I've had the pleasure of working with them both on the wedding front and it is always a joy. See below a little of their journey and heart behind Dutch Floral & Home.
Name: Kelly Long & Lindsay Gibson
Business Name: Dutch Floral and Home
Website: www.dutchfloralandhome.com
Favorite Dessert: Kelly: I’m more of a chips and salsa kind of girl…but give me a slice of Homemade carrot cake…with REAL carrots, cream cheese icing, and NO NUTS, and I’m pretty happy! Lindsay: Cherry Pie
Favorite Artist/Album: Kelly: Eagles, Jimmy Buffet, Guns N’ Roses…..I can’t pick just one!! I LOVE music! All of it! Lindsay: Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
When did you start your business? 2013
What inspired you to start it? Kelly: The LOVE of fresh flowers, design, and friendship! Lindsay: Kelly and I had dreamed of opening a retail flower shop for about 4 years. It took some time to find the right place and to be at the right place in our lives for such an endeavor! We felt like there was an open niche in the market and we knew how to fill it with our decidedly eclectic aesthetic.
What would you say was your biggest challenge to overcome? Kelly: Breaking into the “retail” side of floral and gift…trying to figure out what clients want. Lindsay: Was, is and will always be… TIME MANAGEMENT.
Who/what was your biggest encouragement and why? Kelly: Lindsay (my business partner in Dutch) and my parents. Lindsay: Our families, of course, have been a constant source of encouragement. But the most surprising support has come from our network of friends in the wedding vendor community. It is certainly not lost on us that all of our friends have said, “yes” to becoming our most loyal and frequent customers, and spreading the word!
What is your favorite part of your business: Kelly: I love ordering the flowers! Sounds crazy, but unpacking floral boxes is like Christmas every week! I also LOVE seeing new faces, and old friends come in the store! Lindsay: Coming to work everyday, loving the work, and loving the people we get to work with!
If you had advice to anyone who might be starting a business like yours? Kelly: Take the leap! You can keep dreaming about it…or you can do it! You may stumble and fall, but get up and keep going! And NEVER stop LEARNING. Lindsay: Hire an accountant and an attorney. It will save you time, money and heartache!
Anything else about your small business that you’re passionate about? Kelly: I love being a “small business” and I love being part of the thriving OKC small business movement! I think it’s such a great group of business owners and dreamers! I feel honored to be a part of such a great city! Lindsay: We are excited on a weekly basis about the varieties of flowers we’re able to provide to the OKC metro that are hard or impossible to find elsewhere. We ardently pursue products and gifts that are high quality, match our kind of quirky-luxe look and don’t have other distributors in the area. Our shop is small, and so it is of the utmost importance to us, that every square inch is used to display something unique and desirable!
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Thanks so much Lindsay & Kelly for being a part of the series! And if you peeps out there are procrastinators like me, head over to Dutch and get your main squeeze a lovely gift.