KC Cunningham’s love of gardening inspired Napa Home & Garden growth – Portrait

KC and Jerry Cunningham co-founded Napa Home & Garden in 2000 after acquiring several small home décor and gift businesses. The company’s original emphasis was on the garden category, reflecting KC’s passion for gardening, but quickly expanded into several other décor categories. The diversity of its product line is what makes Napa unique, said KC Cunningham. As the company celebrates its 25^th anniversary, KC reflects on how Napa has grown and evolved, what she learned along the way, and the surprising pleasure of making a career shift after age 50.

Tell us what led you to open a home & garden wholesale business.

After being involved with two financial services companies, I was retiring at 49 and learning how to garden, my husband Jerry was still working. He started to make investments in small gift companies. He thought he could group them together under professional management as an investment. We wound up owning the companies ourselves, and Jerry asked me to come out of retirement, go to California and check out this company. It was a total mess. The product was awful. He said, ‘Well, that’s not good.’

We couldn’t get out of [the investment] because we had showroom leases. We had to turn around this investment, but we were going to have to do something different, something we liked to do. So, in 2000, we changed the name to Napa Home & Garden. I went to work full time. He left his job and started it with me. We didn’t know anything — how people got their products, how they were distributed, how they were priced … we were clueless about tariffs, 40-foot containers, all the things you would usually know. We just did what we thought we would do from our perspective as businesspeople. We started with very limited product. The warehouse was in Atlanta, and we were in Napa Valley. We tried working from there, but it didn’t work. We decided to sell, move to Atlanta and make a go of it.

You’ve said your inexperience worked to your advantage when you first got your business off the ground. How so?

I didn’t know anything about trends, what the color of the year was. I had no idea how professional buyers go about doing it. We just went to trade shows all over the world and thought, “Wow, I really like that.” And that is how we built the company. We brought new products and ideas, and it took off and was successful. It’s almost like our juju was not knowing. We did it our way.

How did you and Jerry divide duties?

We worked 24/7 together. He was the thinker, the visionary guy, and I was product. We were ying and yang. We didn’t have 25 decision makers. It was just us. It was simple then. And it was fast. We could go to India for two weeks and come back with 350 products. Those were the days.

Are you a leaper or a planner?

I’m left and right brain. I did most of the running of the office. I made sure the trains ran on time. Jerry [who passed away in June 2019] was the risk-taker, the leaper, by far. I am not a risk taker. That worked for us.

Are you still involved in the day to day?

Now, I am there to keep an eye on product and watch over the brand. I do believe that Napa does have a unique position. We always look different. The breadth of our line is one of the reasons. We owe that to Jerry. He was always pushing to add categories.

I love what I do now, being involved with product and not with all those other disciplines. Give me product! I’m quite the shopper. It was the retirement dream of a lifetime, to see how things were made. We learned so much, not just about product, but about the economy, the world, how people feel about us as Americans. You can’t learn that from a book, the impact American buyers can have on families in China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your business, and what did you learn from it?

The biggest risk in this business is your inventory. When you start racking up millions in inventory and you’re personally liable for it, that’s your biggest risk. That’s always hanging over the head of a sole proprietor.

What are you most proud of after 25 years in the industry?

It’s hard to narrow down. I’m really proud of the brand. It tickles me wherever I am — whether in the U.S. or Canada — and there’s Napa product, and it’s in a really nice store.  I take great pride in our product. I think it’s a nice, clean, casually elegant, not cluttered, not overly embellished brand.

What advice would you give to someone considering a career shift in their 50s?

There is a lot of life after 50. I am 75 now. We started at 50, we knew nothing. I would have never dreamed in my wildest dreams that we could establish a brand and build a company and accomplish what we did. I pinch myself every day.

I would say you have a lot more time. Don’t be so caught up in running 900 miles an hour. Enjoy your life along the way. Life doesn’t stop at 50, or 60, or 70. It gets better. It really does. Be fearless. Don’t let the naysayers get to you. And don’t let any failure along the way stop you. You have to try and fail to succeed.

Just for fun:

Where did you grow up?

Seattle, Wash.

First job?

It was in high school. I worked for Triple XXX Root Beer out of the Tacoma airport drive-in. All the agents from Hertz Rental came over to Triple XXX on their breaks. They recruited me [to work as a car rental agent]. I was 16, maybe 17; they waived the age requirement. They had extra insurance on me because I wasn’t old enough to sign a contract. I was a Teamster. I made really good money.

Favorite flower?

I would say hydrangea, and boxwood shrubs.

Favorite holiday tradition?

A New Year’s Eve black tie dinner party

Favorite place to visit?

Italy