Building Two Brands in Separate Cities with Andrea Metzler

In this week’s podcast episode, Emily chats with Andrea Metzler, owner of Art Terrarium in Des Moines, Iowa and Desert Rose Cactus Lounge in Bend, Oregon. Andrea joined to chat about starting a retail business and juggling two brands in two separate cities.

Andrea’s career path has given her a wide variety of experience in many different industries. From using her degree in communications from the University of Northern Iowa to work in the film industry to joining her roommates' tech startup in Austin for real estate referrals to community building for a Des Moines co-working space, Andrea learned a ton. It was an idea to host an event in the skywalk for local artists, however, that sparked Andrea’s interest in opening her own space. Creating Art Terrarium was Andrea’s first voyage into entrepreneurship on her own and she quickly had to learn the ropes of running a retail business.

Andrea walks listeners through her experience learning Shopify, sourcing inventory, hiring and managing people and what she does to work through challenges that arise. Just a few years ago, Andrea moved to Bend, Oregon, where she decided to open up another plant store, this one named Desert Rose Cactus Lounge. Now as owner of two stores in separate cities, Andrea had to cultivate a team she trusted and learn how to balance her responsibilities.

If you’ve been curious about what it’s like to build, own, & operate multiple stores from afar, listen to this episode with Andrea! 

Tune in for topics like:

  • Andrea’s career journey

  • Origins of the Art Terrarium name

  • Advice for business partnerships

  • Tips for managing people

  • How Andrea manages two businesses in separate cities

  • What’s up next for Art Terrarium

Links from the episode:

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Show NotesEmily Steele