Wildflowers gift shop is located in Duck Creek Village, Utah. Duck Creek is 30 miles east of Cedar City on Highway 14 in Southern Utah at an 8,000 feet elevation. It is nestled at the side of a beautiful meadow complete with a meandering stream and surrounded by mature Ponderosa Pines and Quaking Aspens. Although an official population has not been established, the nearest guess is that approximately 75 year round residents covering a 135 mile radius reside here. However, this is also an area that has hundred of summer cabins that are frequented mainly on the weekends and holidays.

 

During the summer season the population can soar to well over 15,000.
Until 2002, the only way to get around in the winter was on a snowmobile. But now the roads are accessible in the winter.

 

The village consists of real estate offices, a gas station, a very small grocery store, a coffee shop, a restaurant, and Cathie Purdy’s Wildflowers gift store. Imagine the ski resorts of Aspen, Vail, or Park City in their early stages and you have Duck Creek Village without a ski mountain. This is a village with a huge upside, but it is struggling with its identity and experiencing growing pains. The old timers are resisting change. There is no City Council, Mayor, or any kind of governing body that offers any sense of direction. That’s why it was critical to this little community for someone like Cathie Purdy to be willing to take a chance and breathe some life into this little settlements future. It gave people a reason to come to Duck Creek. She does this not just to earn a living, but because she wants to create a place where people want to come. They can also share in her passion for this well kept secret called Duck Creek and her love of handmade crafts.

 

Cathie grew up working in her father’s floral shop. Coupled with six years there and another eight years working in other floral shops she has developed an extraordinary knack for customizing unique conversation type floral pieces. She has a combined twenty-two years experience in the gift and craft industry. But if you ask her why she thinks she is successful; she will tell you, “I’m living my passion.”

 

Cathie’s approach to success is to develop relationships with customers who love her and her work. She has also created an atmosphere where men and women plan their day around the “stop at Wildflowers.” She has beat the odds and defied the naysayers that told her that trying to start a gift shop in the middle of nowhere, with no customers, and the average annual snowfall of 9 feet was a bad business decision. BUT, this was a woman with a vision and a passion!

 

In a remote mountain setting where customers are few and far between, Cathie has developed loyal, repeat customers who look forward to and travel great distances to frequent her shop. Very few cabins and homes on the mountain have not been dressed up by Cathie’s creative touch. Going into her shop is like finding yourself in the home of your dreams. Her imaginative displays translate well into the log cabins of the area. You find yourself purchasing the entire vignette she’s created; rather than just one item. What makes visiting Wildflowers so enjoyable is not just the product. The shopping experience starts with the fragrance and the soft music that greet you when you come through the door. Cathie’s friendly personality makes you feel very welcome. She remembers the items you’ve purchased before and can help you create a look. Every time you walk into Wildflowers you can feel the love that radiates from Cathie. That same love is exhibited in all of Cathie’s handmade products. Most property owners on the mountain have a bit of Wildflowers in them.

 

Some of Cathie’s products are handpicked from gift shows and more than half of them are handmade by her. What makes her products superior is her own personal philosophy. As she explains, “I do things with my heart, not my mind.” This is evident in the chenille bears that she hand stitched from bedspreads purchased on Ebay and the quilts she hand stitches; spending hundreds of hours creating the right mountain theme. Her handmade floral arrangements make up 50% of her business and her philosophy with each one is to help the customer “feel like they are walking in the huge, open, flower filled meadow behind my store; not like they are buying a vase full of flowers.” She uses wacky and unusual flowers and pieces that are indigenous to the area. Many of the items have been handpicked from the meadow or found in the forest. They are incorporated into her floral designs, candles, pictures, and fabrics. She also makes her floral pieces based on a swatch of fabric, a pillow, or a vase from the customer’s home or cabin. Her floral pieces are truly one of a kind and in high demand.

 

What separates her from other gift shops is that nothing is mass produced. It’s like stepping back into a slower pace in time where you can experience the care and investment in every unique piece. She welcomes you to pick them up; smell, touch, and experience them. These are items made with her soul and spirit. And as a customer, you feel this when you walk into her store. It’s like finding a diamond in the rough. The store never looks the same and is in a constant state of change reflecting each of the seasons. The customers frequently see a different look.

 

Human contact can be few and far between in a remote location such as Duck Creek. That’s why her store is so important to the health and well being of the community. Wildflowers has provided a physical location for people to come together and to eliminate loneliness and isolation. In this little mountain community that’s struggling to define itself Wildflowers goes far beyond a gift store. It is a gathering place where neighbors connect, strangers become friends, and a Village tries to come together.