We recently connected with Victoria Speers and have shared our conversation below.

Victoria , appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to have my own shop one day. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else in life other than running my own business that I could create from scratch. People always told me that I would not make it, I was not talented enough, I was dreaming too big for living in a small town, etc. I took that negativity and used it as fire for my fuel. I graduated from Texas State University with my bachelor’s in Fashion Merchandising and a minor in Business. It was a huge milestone as I was the first in my family to go to college and graduate. After graduation, I worked at my church back home as a youth minister so I could start saving money for this dream of being a store owner. It was only 8 short months (that felt like an eternity) when I quit my job and decided to pursue this passion. Fast forward one year later, and now I’m sitting in my very own flower shop and boutique

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Victoria Speers and my entire life, I always wanted to have my own shop one day. In Texas, homecoming mums and garters are a huge thing for football season. My mom always made my homecoming mum every year. Soon enough she starting making them for my friends. I realized, she might be onto something and I convinced her to start selling the mums and garters out of our house. That first year, we sold a whopping 10 mums and garters! I saw the potential what we could offer and sell, year after year we sold more and more just by word of mouth, no social media, no website. We outgrew our house and rented a space in a local boutique and started selling them there. I finally created a social media account and now, to this date, I have the biggest homecoming mum and garter business in Brazoria county, Fort Bend county, and Matagorda county selling over 800 mums and garters EACH season (3 months). With The Mum Ladies business, it allowed me to go to college and pay for my books, rent, and other expenses. I would go home on the weekends during college so I could keep up with the demand we were required to make. I missed out on fun activities in college and hanging out with friends, but when you run your own business, you wear many hats and you have to meet quotas, After graduation, I knew I wanted more since The Mum Ladies was a seasonal business. I wanted a boutique that was fun, sparkly, and bright. Something that represents my personality. A place where people can come and be themselves. I came up with Vintage Sparkle. My mom suggested that I go to floral school and add a flower shop to the boutique. After all, my mom is a Texas Certified Master Florist, so it only made sense for me to follow in her footsteps. I started floral school and worked at a flower shop part time to gain experience. I was not exactly good at designing floral arrangements for this particular florist, as she had a different style than me. I went home crying just about everyday because everything I made was “ugly” and people would not pay for it. I then quit working for this florist because I could not handle being told that my “dreams were too big for a small town,” “I do not have what it takes,” and I do not “have the talent” to be a florist. For several months, I only focused on my homecoming business and one day, I get a call from Vance Zahorski asking if I was still pursuing my dream. I said yes and he had a proposal for me. He gave me jumpstart I had been waiting 2 years for. He came up with the idea of sharing a rental space with a local cafe to start my business, Vintage Sparkle Floral & Boutique. From that moment on, I have been unstoppable. I started designing my own floral arrangements, in hopes people would accept them. I have had people tell me that my designs are “fun and vibrant,” they are “different from what your cookie cutter florist would normally do”. I add glitter, disco balls, feathers and use bright colors in my designs setting me apart from others. Customers say they have never received anything more beautiful! It is such a blessing to be able to be creative for a living and make people smile. I get to wake up everyday and live my dream not work.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

My main resource, my lifeline, what I would run to in despair or joy is Jesus. He has given me the peace of mind that He has a plan for me and it is far better that what I could ever plan for myself. College and life after college was hard, trying to navigate what I do next to get one baby step closer to my dream. I would cry out to the Father and felt like He wasn’t even listening to me. I felt like a loser, a nobody and a disappointment to my family. But despite feeling all these things, I still continued to run to Him. My faith is what kept me going, even when I wanted to give up. I kept praying to God asking when would I get this opportunity to prove myself. Day after day, I felt nothing, I heard nothing. One day I surrendered to Him, I said “God, I give you all of me and I have nothing to offer to you except my praise. Do what you want with me.” The next week, I received a call from Vance Zahorski asking if I was interested in sharing a space with a local cafe to jumpstart my business. God works in so many mysterious ways, but He had a plan for me. For 2 years straight, I kept a verse as my phone screensaver as a reminder. It says “Because of your faith, it will happen”. Matthew 9:29. God heard every cry, every prayer, and every praise. It was all in His timing. I am forever grateful to have such a loving Father, one that does not abandon his children. Everything I am and everything I have is all thanks to Him. Without my relationship with Jesus, I am nothing.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

As a florist, I make many arrangements for people who have passed. I never thought that making flower arrangements for a deceased person is just as important as someone getting married. But it’s such a bittersweet moment, it’s an honor that I get to be a small part of the persons lasts moments with their family. I also get to learn about these people and understand their story. I get to create flowers arrangements that represented the person, whether it’s the color scheme, a picture, or an item the family gives to me to use in the arrangement. It is touching that people trust me to create something absolutely captivating for a loved one.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vintagesparklefb.com
• Instagram: Vintage Sparkle Boutique
• Facebook: Vintage Sparkle
• Other: email- [email protected]
  store phone- 979-799-6274