Jul 14, 2011

Vintage Garden: A Mom’s Lifelong DreamBy Mike LauterbornFairfield.Patch.com

An entrepreneurial spirit and interest in gift items and cut flowers has entrenched a busy Fairfield mother of three boys in one of the hottest retail complexes in town.

Kathy Lee, owner of Vintage Garden in the Brick Walk Promenade, grew up in Westport and worked in retail bakeries in high school. Senior year found her at Greens Farms Bookstore, which incorporated a bakery.

“It was a wonderful environment, with books, gifts, baked goods and catering – a great business recipe,” Lee said. “I kept the scenario in the back of my mind.”

Lee went off to the University of Southern California to pursue business and entrepreneurship, ultimately landing in Boston in 1989. There, she started in accounting, then managed the flower/gift shop. “I had a great mentor there – the director of the gift shop – who took me to trade shows and showed me the ropes.”

In 1994, she returned to Westport to work in floral management at Hay Day / Bertucci’s. “I didn’t know a lot about flowers, but two women on staff – Fairfielders Maureen Ringel and Phyllis Hartkopf – guided me along,” she said. “The place was like a farmstand. We sold individual flowers and custom created floral arrangements. I really gained a passion for cut flowers and gardening.”

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