Where we Began
June Poppies began as a partnership in the Summer of 2016. Two moms and great friends excited to take an adventure and start a business. After a few years of amazing success, networking, and growth we decided to pursue our separate passions of art and cake at the beginning of 2019. The entire year of 2019 we continued to share the name June Poppies and June Poppies Designs. It was a big decision for me to move away from the June Poppies name, but it’s time to start a new journey! Do you want to know what amazing things my friend and original partner Rahshida is up to? Check out her beautiful and delicious cakes HERE.
The New Name
After months of brainstorming new names and not loving anything, the idea of changing names was put on the back burner. The name had to have meaning and a certain feeling and nothing felt right…yet.
In April of 2019 a very special woman in our family passed, Grammy Kitty (it was a longtime nickname she earned from her beautiful, hazel “cat like” eyes). There were so many years of my life that this woman touched. I have very distinct memories of her presence and love. She had a way of filling a room with her energy. The love that exuded from her body for her grandchildren was undeniably felt. You know that feeling you have for another human that no words or action or amount of touch could properly express your love and affection? That is what us grandkids felt from her. She would sit next to us and clinch her teeth with a smile and slap the top of our thighs over and over (in a loving, affectionate way :) ) and tell us how much she loved us, how proud of us she was. We felt her joy, and maybe a little tingle on our thighs from the slaps but I would not trade that feeling for a thing. I know my siblings and cousins felt that same love. She is missed immensely.
Months after she passed I revisited the brainstorming of my new business name. I thought about the core values of my business, why I decided to pursue this path and to what message I want to stay true. Family has and will always be at the root and the core of those values. I created this business for them and because of them. That is why Ollie Lou, my grandmothers original namesake, felt like the perfect new name to begin 2020. It will be a constant reminder of that core value. I will always remember the handmade items our grammy made us, the happiness she felt when surrounded by her family. Her presence in our lives and the role she played in sculpting us into the women we are now is irreplaceable.
June Poppies will always have a special place in my heart. I appreciate you all so much for the support this community has provided on this journey the last few years. I look forward to the new adventure as Ollie Lou Designs.
Jessica
