We were lucky to catch up with Kendra Laroche recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kendra, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I was working at a local nursery about six years ago. Inspired by all of the plants. Inspired by the people. Taking notes everyday on different species and care. I never really considered myself observant until I found my love for plants. Before I was distracted and unfocused. Once I grew a love for horticulture I knew what I wanted to do. I spent a year learning from the nursery. The different varieties and how to care for them. I started to dabble in container design here. I loved pairing different plants in unique pottery. I realized I had outgrew the little nursery I was working for. I took my chances and with little experience, but a large portfolio of container designs, I applied to plant design positions all over Florida. A few months later a reputable landscape design firm took a chance on me. I headed their container design and maintenance departments. I learned a lot about running a crew and running a business here. I worked closely with the owner and she really took me under her wing. With their support I took off on my own. I felt confident with my collected knowledge to start my own container and landscape design business. I built connections at our local farmers market and soon had my own roster of clients. I now spend my days designing, installing, and maintaining along 30a and now branching out to Cashiers, NC. How I got here was a lot of chance and some risk taking. I had to be brave to quit my job with no prospects and I had to bet on myself a lot.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Loft and Leaf was born out of a shell, literally. I started Loft & Leaf by planting conch shells with succulents. I sold them in multiple farmers markets in our area. I collaborated with other artists and grew relationships from there. I would teach a series of workshops on plant care and provide tutorials on how to plant your container designs. This work allowed me to grow a client base. I now work at a landscape designer without a traditional education. All of the experience is from the field. I have been mentored by some of the industry’s best. I am forever grateful.

At Loft and Leaf we offer a variety of services. We are a creative landscape design company. Meaning we take on projects that are more obscure or looking for more than just a builder grade type planting. We play with different elements to bring your space to life. We offer interior and exterior container design, landscape design, custom arrangements, living walls, and photoshoot styling.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Before finding this path my journey had been bumpy. I was not a great student in school. That way of learning just wasn’t for me. I battled with addiction in my college years and into my early twenties. I worked as a restaurant server and really had no desire for anything more. Until I moved to 30A and found a friend who really inspired me. She was my first introduction to collecting house plants and encouraged me to try for my first job at the nursery. Her home was almost manically filled with plants. I had never seen anything like it. I didn’t grow up having house plants and honestly had no idea you could grow plants inside. I started my own collection and used plants as a reward system for hitting milestones in my goals at the time. If you were to ask anyone in my high school where I would be they would probably have said same town and same restaurant. With the help of my friends and family I have built a life i could not have dreamt of.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Consistency has been the most important factor to growing my client base. People want to know you’re going to show up. If you can be consistent I think you will set yourself up to have great relationships with your clients. It’s always been important to me to build more of a personal relationship with the people who hire me. I know they say business isn’t personal but it always has been for me. Especially for anyone in a creative field this is important. The client needs to know you care about your work. When you care it shows in your work and people can tell.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Loftandleaf.com
• Instagram: Loftandleaf

Image Credits

Kiana Tate Photography