Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Lyle Ladd.
Kimberly , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I began painting furniture in my one car garage back in Fall of 2016, This was my side hustle along side my banking career as my main source of income. I went through a bank robbery while pregnant in 2016 and decided to take a leap of faith and began painting furniture as my full time employment. My furniture business, then called Shabby Ladd now called Monarch Designs, was about 70% of folks bringing me their items that had sentimental meaning and refreshing those items to fit their modern day decor. This way grandma’s heirloom hutch was out of the basement and being enjoyed again! There was such a market it for the painted furniture I began scouting for pieces and reselling them once I revived them. I slowly kept that business going and in 2021 saw that my favorite antique shop was for sale in June of 2021. In mid July 2021, God laid it on my heart to sell my only asset, my home, and it sold quickly! I was scared but was motivated by a new life for my children and I.
In October of 2021, my daughter Brylee and I went into the shop, Bloomin’ Deals to purchase a t-shirt for a Halloween event she wanted to attend. When checking out we saw a friend of ours that let me know the shop was still for sale and the price was almost too good to be true. I didn’t leave the parking lot before calling the now previous owners and setting up a meeting that evening to talk details on buying the shop.
The Woodall family had owed Bloomin’ Deals for nearly 8 years, but decided to sell and move into real estate. Luckily I was at the right place at the right time and I made the decision to purchase the shop and takeover ownership as of November 16,2021.
Looking back now, I think was I crazy! I was in my 30s and knew very little about antiques. I did know sales and finance, so I used what skills I had to make the shop my own! From that point forward, we won several awards including, The Main Street Awards naming us as Best Antique Shop in Sumner County for 2022, 2023, 2024, and a finalist for the same award in 2025. We also took home Best Home Decor Store in Sumner County in 2024 beating out larger corporate chains like Hobby Lobby. Additionally, we were selected as a Winner in the 2023 Main Street Awards for the entire Middle TN region! We were also nominated as Small Business of the year by the Portland Chamber in 2022 and in 2024 Cumberland Connect named Bloomin’ Deals as BEST Retail Shop in the Small Business Category! Not too shabby for a girl who wasn’t too sure on what she was doing!
Of course, this business isn’t for the weak. As a business owner there have been some very long nights trying to solve problems and tweak issues. Not everyone always sees you as making the right choice and decisions, but you must be confident in who you are and feel empowered to trust your instinct.
I am thankful for our family of vendors. With the shop being around 4,000 square feet, we house about 50 vendors. They assist in stocking and keeping their spaces clean and offering items that appeal to customers. You can find items from freeze dried candy to painted furniture and just about everything in between! We like to say we are your one stop shop for just about anything!
I am also so grateful for my family that has joined me on this journey. My Dad, sister Crystal, My mother and stepdad help staff the shop so its ran to an owner’s standard and its truly a family business. Without that support the shop wouldn’t be much at all and I am so very blessed to have them all!
Bloomin’ Deals has big plans for the new year, including FACEBOOK LIVE sales, and events for the community! This will be the biggest and BEST year yet!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No it has not been a smooth road, and those challenges have helped shape me into a better woman that I was.
When I first took ownership of the shop there were many vendors that weren’t happy with changes, I felt I needed to make. Those folks weren’t on my team and slowly we had to address that issue. Occasionally that will still come up, but I have learned to be clear in my expectations of vendors and make sure its beneficial for them as well as the shop. I live by the motto, ” Don’t make it personal, and don’t take it personal!”
Additionally, many folks come in and see my parents and assume the oldest male around is the owner, Being a woman as a business owner has its challenges and I have learned that we still have to pave our way. Owning this shop has made me stronger and resilient and I am still learning every day!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am most proud of the pieces I redo. I love taking something that someone sees as “trash” and repairing it and making it desirable again! I get to be creative and paint almost every single day and people pay me for it, I’m a lucky girl and that fuels my spirit and soul!
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I am a risk taker. In my opinion, successful business owners are risk takers! You can’t take yourself too seriously and you can not be afraid to fail. There is a lesson in everything you do whether you win or lose. That is the beauty in risk taking! Everything I do is a risk, literally everything, so I don’t know how to live otherwise. Don’t take yourself too seriously and enjoy the journey and the ups and downs!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://WWW.BLOOMINDEALSTN.COM
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomindealstn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BloominDealsPortland/
