Meet Myssie Flowers from Madame Flowers!

How long have you been at The Loading Dock?

I had to look this up! I've been a member since June 2021. My husband Tan Tran and I were some of the original businesses to move into the Beryl location. Tan runs a 3D printing business. 

In the beginning, we had two separate units inside of the cowarehouse but as our businesses expanded we now share a larger space! One side of our unit consists of 3D filament and resin printers and the other half holds my wax and fragrance oils!

Tell us about your company!

Madame Flowers is a home fragrance company located in Raleigh, NC. I started this company out of my apartment by accident - I wanted to make Christmas gifts for my friends and family back in December 2019 and decided to try making candles. On a whim, I threw a North Carolina candle up on Etsy just to see what would happen. That candle didn't sell until May 2020! The first sale really is the hardest because within a week I had sold two more candles.

Over the pandemic, I had a lot of free time to dedicate to a new project so I decided to dive in and create a whole North Carolina-inspired collection with different fragrances for some of the largest cities in the state. Currently, Madame Flowers has expanded to offer multiple products such as holiday-themed candles (Christmas, Mother's Day, etc.), special event candles (birthdays, anniversaries), soaps, body creams, room sprays, and bath bombs. My current project focus is the 50 State Collection with scents inspired by all of the states in the USA. About 10 states are currently on Amazon, and I'm hoping to finish the rest by the end of the summer.

In what ways have you or your company grown since being at The Loading Dock?

Madame Flowers has grown significantly since joining The Loading Dock. First off, moving in created a huge mindset shift. I knew renting a space was an investment in myself and my business and it pushed me to take it seriously. Additionally, having a dedicated space for Madame Flowers allowed me to create and store more inventory. In my apartment, I only had so much space to store products, which limited how much I could make at one time.

On a personal note, although working from home "works" for some people, as a solo entrepreneur I found it to be a little lonely. The Loading Dock provides me with just enough social interaction and variety to keep me focused on my tasks at hand. In a way, having people around me helps to keep me accountable to my business - if I'm surrounded by people working hard to make their dreams come true, I'm inspired to continue working hard as well.

What resources or events at The Loading Dock have helped you grow?

I've really enjoyed the happy hours because it's a fun way to meet new people and learn about their various projects. I also really enjoyed the vision board event. I had so much fun getting the chance to be creative in an abstract way. Hopefully, The Loading Dock offers more creative events soon - maybe a paint and sip class? (LOVE this idea!! - LD Staff)

Have you developed any meaningful connections or collaborations in the space, professionally or personally?

I've met so many interesting people by just walking around and starting up conversations. From people running nonprofits to companies selling innovative snack spinners, I'm surrounded by inspiring people. I've made a lot of dear friends as well, and it's so nice to come into such a welcoming and friendly space every day. I've also been given the opportunity to sell my products in person at TLD during their holiday markets, Galentine's Day Sip and Shop, and when the TLD partnered with the Triangle Pop Up. All of these avenues have provided me with ways to display my products, make new connections, and have great conversations.

Anything else you want to share?

I've really enjoyed my time here at The Loading Dock and I recommend the company to other entrepreneurs and small businesses. I really can't imagine growing my business in any other place.