Today we’d like to introduce you to Kailie Starr.
Hi Kailie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
A little over a year ago, I was working a corporate job and knew I wanted to do something else with my career. I’ve always wanted to own my own business, specifically a shop. So, I started casually looking at businesses for sale and came across Wild Island Collective! I love plants, and the shop is absolutely dreamy, so I was immediately intrigued. After speaking with the previous owner, it seemed like the business would be a really great fit and something I would be excited to get to do every day! I took over last April, and it’s been a whirlwind! There are certainly challenges to being a small business owner, but I’m doing something that I love, which makes it all worth it. When people come into the shop, and their face immediately brightens up, or they find a plant they’ve been looking for, it makes me really excited to be part of that experience with them. Today, in addition to being a plant shop, we also offer yoga classes every Sunday- Wednesday evening. It’s a really special experience to be able to do yoga in a room full of plants! We also offer various community-based events throughout the month; whether it’s repotting workshops or Kokedama-making workshops, we try to bring the community of plant lovers together!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the biggest challenges has been figuring out how the plant industry ebbs and flows. It seems after the COVID plant craze, the interest in plants has certainly died back a little bit. Plus, being in a recession, I know our customers are certainly being more budget conscious right now. I’ve been adjusting accordingly and am hopeful that as we’re heading into spring, the momentum will pick back up again as folks want to bring nature into their homes.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Wild Island Collective?
We are most known for having a more unique variety of plants and for being very helpful and welcoming. In addition to selling plants, we also sell various giftables, candles, jewelry, etc. Most of our products are made by local and/or small businesses and artists. We are proud to support small businesses as part of our small business mission. Another one of our business missions is to bring the community together. We hope to do this by hosting various events each month in our jungle oasis, one of which is yoga classes every Sunday-Wednesday evening. We also try to cultivate a very comfortable and welcoming environment.
In addition, we offer services to help you along your plant journey! We offer repotting services where we’ll repot your plant in a soil mix that’s right for it and in the appropriate pot size. Furthermore, we offer styling services for your home or office. We will evaluate your space and handpick plants and pots that we think will best accommodate your environment and style.
We also make preserved moss wall art! I’m currently working on a custom piece for our neighbor and am putting their logo into it. I love getting creative, so if you have a plant-related project in mind, I’d love to hear about it and see if we might be able to make something work for you!
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I hope to see the houseplant industry pick back up again and stabilize as plants become a necessity in the home. Plants make people happy and are a great way to bring a piece of nature indoors. I think people really saw how much they needed nature during the pandemic, which is why the plant industry took off. I think people will continue to get creative in how they bring nature into their home, whether it’s through a moss wall or propagation station as decor. I think the delivery of plants will continue to increase as well.
Pricing:
- Styling services starting at $100
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wildisland-collective.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/wildisland.collective?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildisland.collective/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wild-island-collective-san-diego
