Itika Oldwine (Shelby Stephens)
Established in 2017, by Itika Oldwine, Oldvine Florals is taking a modern approach to create breath-taking floral installations in downtown Los Angeles. Located in the heart of the Old Financial District, just blocks from the historic Flower Market, Oldvine is now one of the city’s premier floral businesses. A love for flowers matched with an entrepreneurial spirit, pushed Itika Oldwine to pivot from a career in marketing to a career rooted in creativity. In a recent interview with the L.A. Sentinel for Black Business Month, Oldwine talks about her journey, breaking into the fragrance industry, what keeps her inspired, and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Throughout her career, Oldwine has had the opportunity to create high-end floral designs for some of the world’s most luxurious brands like Cartier, Ferragamo, Dior, Alexander Wang and Louis Vuitton. By way of the Bay Area, she moved to Southern California to attend UCLA for undergrad. After school, Oldwine left the city to work in Chicago for the Oprah Winfrey Show. When the show ended in 2010, and after a decade in the Midwest, Oldwine wanted to pursue a career in marketing. She began working for AEG at L.A. Live for two years, then launched her own marketing firm where she met Eric Buterbaugh, her most inspirational client.
Oldvine Florals Studio (Shelby Stephens)
Known as “The King of Roses,” Eric Buterbaugh is a highly accomplished L.A.-based floral designer and fragrance creator, known for his work with celebrities, fashion houses, and royalty. After two years at Eric Buterbaugh Design, Oldwine launched her business as a vessel for her point of view on blooming creations, while giving a modern twist to the landscape of L.A. She believes that flowers are not only a thing of beauty but they solidify a mood and are a direct reflection of one’s taste.
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When asked about the floral industry, Oldwine shared, “People who love flowers are amazing; they are good people, they are kind people, and they are usually people who are generous because they’re giving gifts or people who are thoughtful. I really enjoy interacting with them as my clients and as my customers. I’ve worked with a lot of people, but these are special. I was dating my husband at the time, and he said, ‘why don’t you open up your own flower shop?’ He was really encouraging because not only did I know the clients, but I knew everything about flower business after working with Eric for two years.”
Itika Oldwine at Oldvine Florals (Shelby Stephens)
“I’m a designer now but I wasn’t a designer then; but I knew how it should look. I started thinking about who my clients would be because I wouldn’t take his clients; but I did know there was a built-in clientele in the Black community. There are Black floral lovers that will buy from a Black flower company if they know that it exists. Word of mouth is big in our community and that’s exactly what happened; I opened my own floral business online. After six months into this new venture, my former classmate at UCLA let me know that another fellow classmate, Matt Barnes, was looking to invest in small businesses because he was retiring. I didn’t have a store front, so I knew I would need a significant amount of cash to open a store. It’s extremely hard to get loans as a small business and it’s even harder if you’re a Black woman. Matt Barnes became an angel investor, and we opened Oldvine Floral Studios in 2017.”
A supportive community has allowed Oldvine Florals to thrive for nearly 10 years. Now, with Oldvine Fragrance, Oldwine has continued to break barriers as a Black-owned business, becoming the first global luxury fragrance brand founded by a Black female floral designer. Fragrance is a more personal industry where customers want to test the product before making a purchase. Oldwine says this venture has been more difficult, but still as equally fulfilling as an entrepreneur.
Black Business Scavenger Hunt (Shelby Stephens)
“I thought it would be a little easier to promote but it isn’t. People need to smell it before they buy it. People will see a floral arrangement and assume if they order it, it will be just like that and love it. We had the fragrance product in stores, but we pulled them and now they’re online; one fragrance and two candles. We use the same glass as Baccarat, we have the best noses, and it turned into a labor of love. The cost of doing business is expensive, but I’m happy that we have the fragrance because if someone wants to buy our flowers and you can’t get them outside of the greater Los Angeles area, but you can get our fragrance or our candles; I’m very proud of our fragrance.”
Oldwine believes in progress over perfection. The words of her grandmother have become a business mantra for her, “only God is perfect.” She says it gives her permission to move on and not get stuck trying to be perfect in business. Her outlook and optimism have created a long-lasting impression in her industry.
Oldvine Florals is participating in the Black Business Scavenger Hunt until August 24. Visit https://www.oldvineflorals.com/ to shop florals and fragrance.