We were lucky to catch up with Marisa Saavedra-Gutierrez and Melissa Welch recently and have shared our conversation below.
Marisa and Melissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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.
Thanks for having us! We met 20 years ago while Melissa’s husband was in pilot training at Kirtland AFB. We were fast besties and kept in touch over email and social media following Melissa’s move to the United Kingdom (after a brief year of friendship). 20 years later (and six children between the two of us – 3 and 3), Melissa and her family returned to Albuquerque and the friendship reignited as if no time had passed.
As an Interior Designer, I (Marisa) dreamed of starting my own line one day as a means to source difficult-to-find items in the marketplace and to bring something different to the table for my clients. Melissa, a world traveler with a Masters in International Relations, had a dream of sourcing and sharing beautiful products found during her travels and living abroad. After sharing our dreams over wine and a fire-pit in October 2021, the seed was planted. Melissa began working with me (Marisa) as my Project Manager and began to better understand the interior design process. After a return trip to Turkey, where Melissa lived prior to returning to Albuquerque, the idea of Lavender Road began to grow. The dream of a Home Decor & Accessories brand was taking shape and we began sourcing the first collection of textiles and handmade pottery from Melissa’s contacts in Turkey. The carefully curated collections, paired with the exciting idea of being able to offer something different to my interior design clients was the hallmark of the line. In addition, we wanted to offer design expertise as part of the shopping experience, so customers feel confident they have chosen the right piece for their space. Livable luxury is the intent for each hand-selected item in the line.
The name Lavender Road combines our shared love of the powerful herb lavender (grown naturally in New Mexico and Turkey) and captures that despite years of separation, all roads lead back to Albuquerque.
Marisa and Melissa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Marisa and I am an interior designer, mother, wife and a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico (U.S.A.) with an intense love and appreciation for my culture, land and history. Being native to the Southwest has meant for me that art and creativity are center to my being. I am constantly inspired by the beauty all around me and for that reason, I feel connected to space and how it affects one’s well-being, which is how I became interested in interior design as a career.
From a very young age, I understood that space was intentional and personal, plus, I’m also sure that had a lot to do with me growing up as an only-child, my bedroom was my retreat! Space has and still does have a profound impact on me. My interior design practice specializes in both residential and commercial interior design ranging from new construction, to remodels, to interior styling projects. I help my clients select design elements such as tile, flooring, wall colors, lighting, etc….most importantly, I work with my clients in navigating their dream and vision of their perfect space. My strongest attribute as an interior designer is being able to fully listen and understand what my clients want without pushing or enforcing my own design style. I don’t believe in imposing a signature “Spatial Harmony” stamp on any project, but rather, I want each individual project to tell a story about my clients’ design journey.
My proudest moment, by far, is simply the fact that I was able to build my interior design business from the ground up. When I look back on my journey, the amount of faith (and tears), in what my goals and plans were and are have continued to help pave the road to a successful interior design career for me.
My name is Melissa and I am a mother of three boys, wife of a Retired Air Force Officer and, because of that, somewhat of a nomad. I was born and raised in Arkansas and even though my accent is hard to pin-point now, it really comes on thick when chatting with a fellow southerner. My professional background began in Non-Profit Fundraising. I’ve worked for the Red Cross, United Way and a Human Rights organization in London. My job in London inspired me to pursue a Master’s Degree in International Relations. After the birth of my first son, I chose to become a stay-at-home mom. As a military spouse with my husband frequently deployed, it was the right choice for our family. I traded my fundraising career for volunteer positions, often times over-committing myself. I enjoy helping others and organizations that are doing good work and I have a hard time saying no to things I feel passionate about!
Due to my husband being in the Air Force, we moved every 2-3 years, which meant setting up a new home and having the opportunity to design and re-design each time. I have always loved the challenge of creating a beautiful space and searching for those perfect pieces to reflect who we are and where we’ve been. The opportunity to live and travel abroad changed my life and, for the past 10 years, I have dreamed of sharing works from the amazing artisans I’ve met during our adventures. After 9 moves (three of those international), my family has finally settled in Albuquerque, NM. Lavender Road is a dream come true and I am thrilled for what lies ahead.
Lavender Road provides artisan textiles and thoughtfully curated home decor and accessories, with the vibrancy of cultures from across the globe and locally. We also offer design expertise to our customers with “livable luxury” as the end goal, the style of living that combines high-end or luxurious amenities with comfort, practicality and functionality.
Our Lavender Road Lux Team is most proud of creating a brand that is not only meaningful in its origin story, but it is also built with love, hard work and determination. These factors have helped, and continue to create, a luxury brand and products that resonate with our audience and in the homes they live in. Furthermore, as women and minority business owners, our intent is to offer life-style products that make a house feel like a home. Everyone deserves to feel comfort and joy in their space and we want Lavender Road Lux to help create the perfect feeling for any room!
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
We were very intentional from the beginning in creating a business model which includes an online store on our site. The interesting part of this story is our online store was intended to start before our brick and mortar, but because of opportunities that we simply couldn’t pass up – meaning we found the perfect space to lease first, we had some time to really explore and research what online platform would best meet our business needs. Shopify, an all-in-one E-commerce platform passed every test and continues to amaze us with its intuitive capabilities and excellent customer care support. The only complaint we have is that there are so many features and we are still in a learning curve of sorts!
Shopify, an all-in-one Ecommerce platform passed every test and continues to amaze us with its intuitive capabilities and excellent customer care support. The only complaint we have is that there are so many features and we are still in a learning curve of sorts!
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
We quickly realized the importance of audience engagement, especially as newbie retail business owners! Thinking outside the box is a necessity and with marketing tools like Instagram and Facebook, we are able to reach demographics that we could not otherwise reach from simply relying on foot traffic in our store. And because Marisa, an established interior designer, works with her clientele in styling their homes, we have a dual line of outreach options. In addition to social media outlets, in- store events have proven to be quite successful in reaching our target audience and having the ability to gauge which products are and are not selling has become a lifeline for our business! The supreme goal is to create an inclusive luxury brand that people can feel good about purchasing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lavenderroadlux.com
- Instagram: @lavenderroadlux
- Facebook: @lavenderroadlux
Image Credits
Nicole Bridges Photography