October 4, 2012
By Coastal Alabama
By Heather Goff
Aspiration, courage, dedication - all are essential qualities of a successful entrepreneur. Add to that the fearless, enduring nature of a woman's spirit and the combination is unstoppable. The following profiles honor five female business owners in our area who are the epitome of determination and leadership. From art to fitness, their areas of expertise represent a variety of interests.
LeNae Denson, owner of Cleveland the Florist (Bill Starling/Coastal Alabama)
LeNae Denson Cleveland the Florist
LeNae Denson has been called the Martha Stewart of Mobile. Indeed, the owner of Cleveland the Florist is well versed in all things domestic - from flowers to entertaining. Her education began at an early age, working in her grandmother's florist shop. And since then, she has taken the small family business to unexpected heights.
It all began almost 70 years ago when Florence Cleveland, Denson's grandmother, began selling homegrown hybrid camellias and azaleas to Van Antwerp's department store in downtown Mobile. As Cleveland gained clients, her son Ulysses joined the business and built her a shop on Stone Street in 1948.
Amid glass houses and bunches of colorful flowers is where Denson grew up. "As a child, after school, it was a family business, so you worked in the family business," she said.
Denson later graduated from the University of Alabama, but returned to Mobile to open LeNae the Florist on Government Street. By that time, the Cleveland family's small operation had grown to as many as five stores in the area.
Denson then met and married her husband, William, and moved to Atlanta, where she worked at the notable Halls wholesale florist shop. In 1986, she rejoined the family business in Mobile, as her father retired in the early '90s.
Now at the helm of the business, Denson went to work carving out a niche among the increasing competition. She wrote a weekly newspaper column, produced her own lifestyle TV show and made regular appearances on local news programs with floral, cooking and entertaining tips. Denson was also featured in a segment on the Rachael Ray Show.
"When I have time to, I'm kind of a self-promoter," she said. "I'd love to have my own national show. But running my own business with three kids - there never was quite enough time in my life to do all the things I wanted to do."
Denson now oversees two Cleveland the Florist shops in Mobile, and she's always looking for new ways to expand her business. Beyond custom-made arrangements, the company sets itself apart with personal service, inexpensive grab-and-go bouquets, and an upcoming website for do-it-yourself events and weddings.
"I try to break out and make us individual to keep us going," Denson said. "Having a family business, you have that sense of pride that you want it to continue."
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Sisters Karin Wilson, owner of Page and Palette and Kelley Lyons, owner of Lyons Share Custom Frames & Gallery (Bill Starling/Coastal Alabama)
Karin Wilson Page and Palette
Since its start in 1968, Page and Palette has boasted a female owner. The Fairhope bookstore was opened by Betty Joe Wolff, and today, her granddaughter Karin Wilson runs the family business.
"I began working for my grandmother when I was 10 years old," Wilson said. "We didn't have computers then, so my job was to pencil in the dates inside the cover when the books came in. Everything was manual."
Working at the bookstore from grade school through college, Wilson pursued a finance career in Colorado after graduation. However, when Wolff was ready to retire in 1997, Wilson and her husband Kiefer decided to move back to the Gulf Coast and purchased the business.
"I had just had my daughter and I thought, 'Shoot, if I take over this business I can make my own schedule and spend more time with (my daughter) Tyler,'" Wilson said. "That was totally wrong thinking. It consumed me after that, and I realized this was going to be a very, very tough undertaking."
Wilson expanded the bookstore with a larger children's department and selections geared toward all ages. Comfortable chairs and conversational spaces were also added for a more homey feel. Upstairs, Wilson's twin sister Kelley Lyons ran a framing business, which their father had started in the family bookstore in 1979. Lyons Share later moved next door, and the downstairs art gallery was turned into Latte Da, an in-house coffee shop.
"Books are still the heart of our business but we had to make it where people came to stay," Wilson said. "Where people meet and converse and share ideas."
Likewise, the store often hosts book clubs, guest speakers and author signings. Past notables include John Besh, Rick Bragg, Fannie Flagg, Emeril, Nicholas Sparks, Paula Deen and many more.
"There's not another book store that I know of in a city this small that does the scope that we do - and I think it's because we are so supported by the community," Wilson said. "From a very early age my grandmother instilled in me, if you're going to be a business owner, you really do have to be interested in the community."
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Kelley Lyons Lyons Share Custom Frames & Gallery
Kelley Lyons has been a lover of art all her life. Her father, Robbie Wolff, owned a small framing business in Fairhope, located in the upstairs loft of his mother's bookstore, Page and Palette. And it was there that Lyons found her passion.
Growing up, she spent time helping her dad while her twin sister Karin worked downstairs for their grandmother. Lyons went on to study art in college and returned to work in her dad's store after graduation.
In 1995, Wolff officially handed the reins over to his daughter, selling the framing operation to Lyons and her husband, Mike.
"I was already running the business pretty much," Lyons said. "The opportunity came up and I jumped on it."
The couple changed the business' name, then known as Frame Outlet, to Lyons Share. Looking to expand, they also began drawing plans for a new building, to be built next door to Page and Palette. In 2002, Lyons Share opened its storefront on De la Mare Ave, after more than 20 years inside the bookstore.
While the shop still focuses on custom framing - from sentimental shadow boxes to handcrafted pieces for personal artwork - the building's expanded gallery was particularly important to Lyons.
"I've always been in framing but the gallery is really my passion," Lyons said. "Before, we had a small gallery but it was not tended to. Now, every month we display a new artist and I rearrange things (regularly) so it looks fresh."
In fact, being the first to showcase a budding artist is one of Lyons' favorite aspects of her job, she said.
"Having new artists come in and getting their first sales builds their confidence," Lyons explained. "It's wonderful to watch somebody grow and become sought-after, even."
A personal connection with her artists and customers is most rewarding, she added. While artwork is an emotional purchase, so is custom framing.
"It's not like regular retail - each relationship is deeper," Lyons said. "The customer is coming in, trusting me with their stuff. We create something for them, and it's very emotional sometimes putting together shadow boxes of memories. But that's what makes it so neat."
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Amanda Sikes, owner of Twist Cupcakes (John David Mercer/Coastal Alabama)
Amanda Sikes Twist Cupcakes
According to owner Amanda Sikes, the idea for Twist Cupcakes was actually inspired by gourmet dog treats. The Mobile native started baking the specialty snacks for her own pups, Ralph and Roxie, then began selling them on Saturdays during Market on the Square.
"Since the treats were so pretty, people were always thinking they were for humans," Sikes said. "So I decided to make something for humans to eat, as well."
Sikes tried her hand at cupcakes. Drawing from family recipes, she developed a solid repertoire of familiar favorites and unique flavors. Sikes added the cupcakes to her Saturday offerings and began taking orders. In just four months, she built quite a Facebook following.
"Before long, I was having a lot of orders that I was doing out of my home," Sikes said. "And since Mobile didn't have a place at that time that made cupcakes, I just decided to go for it."
Twist Cupcakes opened in Legacy Village in December 2010. Its sophisticated, trendy feel spoke to an older audience. And with flavors such as Chocolate Ganache, Salted Caramel, Java and Italian Creme, who could resist?
"Even though we know children love cupcakes, we wanted to have something where people my age would hang out and relax," Sikes said. "Same thing with our cupcakes - we wanted classy cupcakes and flavors."
Now almost three years later, Twist boasts three locations, covering Mobile and Baldwin Counties. The road hasn't been easy though. Sikes still arrives at the Dauphin Street store at 3 a.m. six days a week to do all the baking and usually returns in the afternoon to the keep the stores from selling out before closing.
"I still want my hands to be in it despite how big we get," Sikes said. "I want to be in the kitchen because I feel like it's not as personal to the customers if the owner is never there."
With the help of a small team of ladies, Twist sells 500 to 1,000 cupcakes from each shop per day, she added. But it's the interactions with her customers that Sikes enjoys the most.
"In some ways, we get to touch people's lives and be a part of their special occasions, birthdays and weddings," she said. "The rewards have been just so much more than I could have ever imagined."
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Melanie Buffett, owner of Yoga Birds (John David Mercer/Coastal Alabama)
Melanie Buffett Yoga Birds
Discovering yoga changed Melanie Buffett's life. Haunted by self-image issues since childhood, the mind-body connection of a steady practice allowed Buffett to break free from her internal struggles and helped her lose 80 pounds within the first year of a dedicated yoga routine.
"It was like the practice made me more mindful of all the other behaviors in my life," Buffett said. "It was a huge transformation and I realized that this was way bigger than a workout. I recognized that it was a lifestyle, and it's evolved over the past 17 years."
After honing her skills in Los Angeles, where she initially learned yoga, Buffett moved back to the Gulf Coast in 2001. Today, she owns Yoga Birds in Fairhope and introduces others to the eastern discipline.
"A space became available that seemed perfect for a yoga studio, and it was something that I had kept in mind for a long time that I wanted to do," Buffett said. "I also thought there was a need for it - there's still not another yoga studio in Fairhope."
However, starting the venture didn't prove to be easy. Buffett signed the lease in 2008 and began shopping for a business loan around the time the economy crashed.
"I went to my mom (Lucy Buffett) - you know, she's an entrepreneur and very successful business woman, and she said, 'Good luck - here's the number of the Women's Business Center (WBC). I'd love to help you. But you've got to do this one on your own,'" Buffet said. "And it was the best thing she could have ever done for me."
With guidance from the WBC, Buffett opened Yoga Birds in 2009. The studio offers classes for all ages and many specialty groups - from children and expecting moms to therapeutic and fitness-based yoga.
"I really wanted to raise awareness about what yoga is and kind of raise the bar of offerings in the area," Buffet said. "It's not about doing fancy poses or being able to tie yourself up in crazy pretzel shape. It's more about that consistent practice over a long period of time, and it really changes people."
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