2 minute read
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
Charlotte Kovalchuk
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charlotte@wilcobr.com
SINCE GOV. ABBOTT LIFTED THE CLOSURE, PINK POPPY’S SALES ARE UP 22-34% FROM FEBRUARY 2020
KAY BRIGGS HAS BUILT PINK POPPY ARTISANS BOUTIQUE
ON A LOVE OF ART, FASHION, AND PEOPLE. HER MANTRA,“BE YOUR OWN KIND OF BEAUTIFUL” IS ONE SHE PROUDLY WEARS AT 60 YEARS OLD, AS A SIZE 12 WITH CANCER SCARS, TO INSPIRE CLIENTS TO STAY TRUE TO THEMSELVES AND BE COMFORTABLE IN THEIR OWN SKIN.
While she is passionate about using fashion to inspire other women, there was a time when Kay Briggs wanted nothing to do with it. Retail burnout from running her clothing and home décor shop in Houston prompted a career transition to art teacher and athletics director. Drawn to Georgetown by family ties, she found herself longing for a creative outlet from her days as a painter, which inspired her to pick up her paintbrush again and sell art at Market Days on the Square each month.
In 2009, seeing the need for artisans to have a permanent spot and not just a table every second Saturday, Briggs bought a downtown furniture store space, and turned it into an artisan’s co-op. Bitten by the fashion bug, she later opened Diva Chicks, a women’s clothing boutique, then sold the business and opened Pink Poppy ARTisans Boutique on the south side of the Square.
Over the years, as she and her businesses moved around the Square, she saw a changing downtown that discouraged many clients from coming to her store on the Square. That combined with the stress of maintaining such a large store space made Briggs decide to get back to her original love—connecting with people—by moving into a more easily accessible, smaller store space at The Summit at Rivery Park shopping center. “In order to continue to do my work with love and joy, I had to get smaller,” she says. “Everybody thinks bigger is always better. It’s not—it’s just bigger headaches.”
Despite the successful move, she soon faced a new challenge—fighting for Pink Poppy’s survival during COVID-19. She was overwhelmed with gratitude by so many people who showed up to support Pink Poppy during its grand opening last year. But, the next day, Governor Greg Abbott’s order for businesses to close their doors overshadowed the celebration and threw her business’s future into uncertainty. .
Adapting to the new world meant taking steps she never thought she’d take, like holding a Facebook live sale. “I didn’t like it. I was uncomfortable, but I did it, and it has continued to be one of my greatest opportunities,” Kay says. Her business has continued to evolve and flourish during the pandemic. “So many opportunities came to me from leaning into the unknown. Other people in our community were doing the same and great opportunities came through us all working together,” she says. “I’ve learned so much about myself and what I’m really capable of doing in life and in business.”
The future looks bright for Pink Poppy. Briggs has added gifts, artisan jewelry, and local art to her store’s offerings, and she plans to add a shop on her website so “customers all over the world can shop.” She will also continue to run The Painted Tree, her pop-up boutique in Houston, and intends to expand it to other locations.
