Fete & Vignette

Fête & Vignette was created to be Birmingham's go-to source for tabletop event rentals, styling, florals, and decorative accents designed to elevate everyday and occasions. We offer curated rentals to make your events unforgettable and hosting more effortless. 

Founded by Dorothy Branch, a former photo stylist for a magazine production company, Fête & Vignette was born out of Dorothy’s love for creating stunning tablescapes, floral arrangements, and designing spaces that tell a story. Dorothy’s background in styling for editorial shoots, where she crafted beautiful settings for various themes and events, has equipped her with an eye for detail and a passion for bringing beauty into every setting.

Fête & Vignette is here to help you curate your perfect event or styled space. Whether you're hosting a special celebration or simply wanting to refresh your home, Dorothy’s vision of bringing beauty and joy through every table setting and floral arrangement is at the heart of everything we do. 

As we've grown, we've expanded the mission of effortless entertaining through the creation of a purchasable collection of tablecloths and accessories loved especially for mahjong hosting!

Enjoy 10% off their purchasable inventory with code FVPREPPY at https://feteandvignette.com/collections/purchase

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You're listening to the Preppy Podcast, and I'm your host, Patricia May Olson. I'll be interviewing the brands, businesses, and influencers who are keeping the modern preppy lifestyle alive. Each Tuesday I'll bring you a new episode. But if you're craving more preppy, then shop the merch and listen to past episodes at the preppy podcast.com and be sure to follow at the preppy podcast and me, Patricia underscore May underscore Olson on Instagram. I'm so excited because as always, we have a fabulous episode ready for you. And it is with my friend Dorothy of Fed and Vignet, who I have known for many years. We reminisce over this on the podcast today, but basically I've loved watching her journey from blogger when we met many years ago to working at a publication and then starting this entrepreneurship journey. So seeing her business go from an event rental business local to Birmingham to expanding into her own products that anyone all over the country can shop, which I know you guys have probably seen on my Instagram, her mahjong tablecloth. She recently also just launched some um cushions for chairs, which coordinate very well, obviously, with the tablecloth. So it was just such a great conversation about her journey to entrepreneurship as well as catching up. And you know that I love those sorts of conversations when I know someone ahead of time and we just have a really natural flow. Um, and she has some great advice. So enjoy this episode. But before we get into that, a few reminders, as always. The first being that you should join Club Preppy. So Club Preppy is our virtual membership where once a month we do at least one virtual event. Um, so think about things like wine tasting, floral ranging, cocktail making, styling, accessorizing uh with experts in those fields, all with like a preppy perspective. Uh this month we actually have Dorothy from Fet and Vignet. She is leading a floral ranging class, um, teaching us how to do florals, especially for Mother's Day later this week. Uh, and then members also get a surprise in the mail. Uh, this month we have a little bag charm, which is so fun. In the past, we've done notebooks or um tote bags, but they each get this exclusive product that are only available for members, so you can't buy them online or anything like that. And finally, they get access to our exclusive group chat, which is where they can converse with one another, um, share links to preppy stories they've read, um, or links to some of their favorite preppy products, and just support one another. It's a great vibrant community. Finally, we have Camp Preppy, which I know many of you wish that you attended our Hamptons one, our Dallas one, or Berkshire's one. But for the rest of 2026, we have Camp Preppy in Colorado, Camp Preppy at Barnsley Resort, then finally Camp Preppy in Kenny Bunkport. Um, so I'm gonna talk mostly about our Colorado one, which is happening in June, so just almost a month away, and I am so excited for that. It's the first time going out west with Camp Preppy. Um, I love the west in the summertime. Everything's just so green and lush and vibrant. It's beautiful and the like temperature is amazing. So I'm really looking forward to that. We are going to spend a lot of time outdoors. Um, it's during a long weekend, so it's great if you know you have kids or um a job that keeps you in an office so you can take advantage of that long weekend. Um, like I said, we're gonna be doing some hobbies and activities in nature as well as some preppy favorites, and the welcome bag is filled with so many amazing things. I've shared little pouches um online on my Instagram that you guys got a sneak peek of, but we also are getting these amazing hats that I will share soon on Instagram, but it's from everyone's favorite hat designer. Um, you guys are gonna freak when you see what the attendees are gonna get. Uh, they also are gonna get the Prey Ski coffee table book, which I interviewed Erin, the author, around the holidays, and just so much more. That's just a little sneak peek. So you can get those tickets at thepreppypodcast.com. Um, I hope that I will see you out there in Beaver Creek Vale area of Colorado. It's going to be truly amazing. A great opportunity to meet friends, um, to do some preppy activities and just relax, truly. And it's not meant for just business owners. So you don't have to be an influencer or a business owner, but you can be one of those. It's truly a mixed bag of just people who enjoy these preppy hobbies, meeting new friends, um, and relaxing. And then finally, like I said, we have Barnsley Resort, which will be in August, and then we have in um October Kenny Bunkport, which that one I only have one or two tickets left. So if you want to attend any of those, head to the preppypodcast.com. And feel free as always to send me a DM or an email if you have any questions. All right, so why don't you first let everyone know who you are, where you live, and what you do?

SPEAKER_01 5:26

Yes, I am Dorothy Branch. I live in Birmingham, Alabama, and I am the owner of Fet and Vignette.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

Excellent. Well, I am so excited to talk with you today, Dorothy, um, because I've known you for many years and I've uh met you through various uh business endeavors and work endeavors, and I'm so excited for what you're doing now, and I can't wait to hear and share with my listeners like how you got to where you are today. But let's start at the beginning. Tell me a little bit about you as a kid. Were you someone who, you know, maybe loved to entertain and help your mom set a table, or someone that was like super creative and did arts and crafts or entrepreneurial, like what was your childhood like?

SPEAKER_01 6:09

Definitely. So I grew up in Fairhope, Alabama, which is a lot of people don't realize Alabama has a coastline, but we're on the bay, and I don't think I realized until I left how creative of a community it is. So I definitely think that probably impacted me in ways that I didn't realize at the moment. Um as a child, I was very sporty, but also very imaginative. Um I think that as I try to see how my storyline has connected over the years, I realize that a lot of that creativity and those things that I enjoyed as a child have shown up in different ways later on in life. So, yes, growing up, definitely creative. I remember I convinced my mom, maybe in third grade, that I really wanted to take a sewing class that was at a sewing store that also had vacuums. Um, so I'm still a little confused about how that connected. But I always liked using my hands and working on different things. And I think my friends would always describe me as someone that if I wanted to do something or make something, I'd make it happen. And I think that a lot of that showed up at a young age. Um, so sewing was a big part, just you know, as a child, I enjoyed that. And my grandmother had me up to her house for sewing camp for a week. I'm sure that was facilitated by my parents of like, okay, let's get the kids out of the house in the summer. Why can we make it seem like a fun activity? But beyond that, I mean, a lot of playing pretend. Um I loved, you know, just I had a cash register and I thought that was probably the most fun toy. I'm sure it was very obnoxious with the buttons and you know noises it would make, but I would draw different signs, and my store was always called miscellaneous in my SS. And I thought I was so clever with that. And it was like a boutique of, you know, whatever was in my room at the moment, um, and would just kind of play that out. So it's funny thinking back on that now of that that's kind of where my brain was, and here I am, somewhat full circle. Um, and then in high school, I was kind of a busybody. I mean, doing a lot of clubs, doing sports, schoolwork, very serious about, you know, doing a good job at the things I was doing, but I really craved a creative outlet. And this is how we originally connected was through my blog. So junior year of high school, I started a blog called Preppin' Your Step. And I still joke that I'm a very occasional blogger. Um, but I was very diligent about that, you know, in high school and through college and after. Um I didn't realize you started it in high school. Yeah, I was um, I didn't want anyone in high school to know. I remember telling my parents, hey, I'm doing this, this is kind of what it was. And it was, I mean, that would have been 2011. So it was very new at that point. Um, and I was like, and you can't tell anyone at our soccer games. Like, please don't. I don't need a reason for people to be like, what is she doing? Um but I think that you know, always wanting a creative outlet kind of led me to where I am now. But I just like to express myself in different ways, and I'm willing to try a lot of different things to see what I enjoy most.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

Yes, I think that's so important. Um, and being an entrepreneur, you know, every day's different, and you kind of have to throw everything against the wall and see what sticks. And it sounds like, you know, where you are today, you're loving what you're doing. Um, but that's so funny because yeah, I don't even remember the first time I emailed you about collaborating with some of my clients. I feel like it must have been when you were in college. Yeah, but I love that you started in high school and like you had that go-getter attitude about it, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:37

I don't know why I chose to add that to my plate when I'm like, you know, stressed about college applications. And, you know, my parents joke that when I would come home for breaks in college, they'd see me more than they saw me in high school, just because it was like, okay, sports, eat dinner, we'll sit down as a family, and then I'm upstairs, you know, doing AP world history or whatever class it was at that point, and then why I thought that I needed time to sneak in some blogging, and um, Pinterest was new at that point. So I think had Pinterest come about before I started my blog, I probably would have never needed a blog, but everything happens for a reason. So um yeah, I think I've always liked creativity.

SPEAKER_00 10:15

Where did you go to college then? Um, and I know you continued your blog when you were in college. Like, where'd you go? What did you study? Did it have anything to do with blogging or you know, tech or any journalism maybe?

SPEAKER_01 10:28

So I went to Furman University, which is a small liberal arts school in Greenville, South Carolina. Um, I was dead set on going out of state. I went to a small high school, and you know, I think we had 17 go to Alabama, 14 go to Auburn. I was like, I want to do something totally different. So I went eight hours from home and I loved it. Furman is such a beautiful campus. I know it's changed a lot now, but um just such a good fit for me. It's under 3,000 undergrad, and I just, I mean, I've always craved a smaller community. Um, so I went there and I majored in education. So elementary education to be specific. Um I think I probably was a little headstrong going in, knowing that that's what I wanted to do. I'd always wanted to be a teacher. Um that I was like, I'm not gonna be that statistic where, you know, X amount of college students changed their major. I was like, I know what I want to do, this is what I'm gonna do. And so that's what I did. And then I stayed an extra year. So during my student teaching practicum, um, I got through some of those courses and then I stayed one year after teaching full time. I taught fourth grade and got a master's in early childhood education, and I used that for a year. Well, I've never technically used my master's because I was teaching fourth grade. Um, but during that year of teaching, I realized that so much of what I wanted out of being a teacher beyond the relationships was the creativity that I felt like I saw in classrooms growing up, and now curriculums have to be more strenuous, and so I felt like I wasn't getting that creative outlet as much. So again, where I found time to do things, I still wonder, but that is when I started doing a lot more with my blog. Um and just all of the times that I feel like I really was digging deeper into something creative was when I was looking for something that wasn't fulfilling me maybe fully in that way. So yes, I continue to blog during that time. Um, and I remember calling my parents saying, like, okay, you're coming up for my master's graduation, and I'm not re-signing my contract, I am gonna do something totally different. And they, you know, I told them I've saved this much, I have some different ideas of things I want to do. But the best advice I think I got in college was from my college counselor telling our whole class, you know, so many of the jobs that y'all will be taking or be interested in outside of college don't exist yet. And so I think having that in the back of my mind helped me to think, like, you know, I can do something totally different and see where it leads me, and I can always come back to teaching if I have to. Um, so I started looking for roles back in Alabama. I was so tired of going through Atlanta to get home. Um so I landed on Birmingham, and Birmingham is, as you know, kind of oddly a headquarters for a lot of different publications. And so I had done some research. I mean, I had a list of so many different ideas of careers I could pursue, but I moved there without a job and was interviewing at Hoffman Media for an editorial assistant role. And so I took that on with Southern Lady magazine, um, who we've had a lot of your clients featured in.

SPEAKER_00 13:49

And so how'd you how'd you land at Hoffman? Was that part of your plan like you knew you wanted to do work with a publication and Hoffman just happened to be what it was, or was it more like it just kind of you were searching for jobs and you saw this job opportunity, you're like, I think I can do that, or were you specifically looking for that type of role, I guess?

SPEAKER_01 14:10

I wasn't, I was kind of all over the place whether I wanted to do something more in the line of communication, um, social media. I felt like I kind of had a nice portfolio of different experiences working with brands and building my own platform that gave me some confidence that I probably shouldn't have had to look for a job out of my major and master's so early. Um, but I remember seeing, I believe it was on LinkedIn, I have to guess at this point, that Hoffman had posted about that and I had a running Google Doc of just all these different things that are in Birmingham. Um and they had an editorial assistant role coming about pretty much at the same time that I was finishing up in South Carolina. And I remember making a separate kind of like flip book for them because I was like, I'm not gonna get this interview if I don't have something to show for um what all I'm doing. So I created my own magazine out of old blog posts and interviewed and showed them that, and that's how I landed on that role.

SPEAKER_00 15:16

Wow, okay, I love that, and I think something so smart, and I I've done this with my career too, and it's a piece of advice that I share with a lot of people, especially in college or right after college, is having a blog, or even if it's not a blog, but like your Instagram account or like a me with a podcast, like having something that you're doing on your own and sort of can act as a portfolio for you helps you so much. And it sounds like that's sort of what you know, you keeping your blog all through high school, college, after college, it gave you the skill sets and showed people that you could, you know, uh do um shoots and style stuff or or work with brands, right? So I think that was smart, and you might not have realized you were doing it, you know, way back when, but it ended up helping you so much.

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Exactly. Yeah, I I don't think I would have landed in the role. So I started as an editorial assistant for Southern Lady magazine, and that is a lot of customer service. I ran our Instagram, I would write some articles, so it was a lot of what I had been doing through my blog on a larger scale. Um eventually they had me take on the Cottage Journal as well. Um, but one of my favorite parts about that role was getting to be an assistant to the stylist at different photo shoots. I remember that, you know, my coworkers were like, oh, let's have a get to know you lunch. And I missed my own get to know you lunch because the opportunity to go help a stylist on a shoot came about, and they're like, Okay, well, we're trying to build community and camaraderie there, but here you are off doing that, and um, a role in that realm opened up within the company. So eventually I moved to the styling position, um, which was, I mean, again, one of those things that you don't know exists until you're kind of in the right spot to see that that that can be a job. And now you see so much more of that with you know wardrobe stylists and things like that from Instagram. But I never knew that magazines had that in-house. You see the pictures and they're featuring different designers and different people. And I mean, maybe I was naive to think that those people were just doing it totally on their own, but there's a team of people that are doing that. So I spent about three years in a styling position and did a lot of lifestyle styling, but we all also did um some food styling as well with our in-house, you know, food publications too.

SPEAKER_00 17:42

Yeah, I yeah, it's so interesting. And I think what your, I think your counselor you said told you that your job, you know, might not exist by the time you get there, or even the fact that, you know, styling existed, you just didn't know that was an option, right? So keeping uh keeping your mind open to these opportunities and and seeing where where they take you is is all part of the journey and finding yourself at and where you fit in. Um so you were there then for you said three years, I think, with styling. Um, and then at what point did you kind of get the entrepreneurial itch to to want to start something and lead to Fed and Vignet?

SPEAKER_01 18:22

So eventually during the COVID time period, we were only in office um a more limited amount of time just so that those shoots could still take place, and more than ever, people were looking at the magazines and coffee table books that were in their home. So we still needed to get those things done, but beyond that, we were working from home. And I am the type that, you know, if you give me a role, I'm gonna try to do it, you know, to a T. And finally, my boss at the time was like, I am here homeschooling my children, and you are responding to emails within two minutes. Like, it's okay, go for a walk. We're all trying to navigate all of this. Um, and a position, kind of a styling position that then evolved, opened up for a lacquer furniture company here. And so I started doing some of that on the side, and then that is the role that I was doing for oh my gosh, three or four years.

SPEAKER_00 19:16

I totally forgot about that too, like we had to work together with that as well.

SPEAKER_01 19:20

Oh my gosh. Our path keep crossing, but so I did that, and that's where I learned a lot about just like e-commerce, Shopify. Um, I was kind of the jack of all trades, um, helping to run that business. So that gave me a lot of just, you know, information, but I was doing more customer service, social media, things like that, and realized that I really missed the styling aspect um and kind of got back into it when my sister-in-law, who had her second baby, oh my gosh, I'm gonna get it wrong, probably like 18 months after the first, really, she was so excited it was a girl, and we had just, you know, what, a year and a half before done a big baby shower for her. And she was like, Well, I really want to do a sprinkle and I don't really want it to be at a restaurant. And she kind of sent some pictures. I was like, Well, I'll have all this stuff. We can make this happen. Um, and a light bulb went off. I was like, Oh my gosh, this could be something if people could rent out for small scale events. I mean, we're so used to that for weddings and big parties, but I think that people are hesitant to reach out to rental companies when they're like, I need eight chairs. It's you know, I'm not your biggest client, but I still want what I want and I want it to look a certain way. So that was January of last year, and I actually had the name of the business previously because I I think I just always toy with what else could I be doing? You know, where do my interests lie? And so initially, Fett and Vignette, I kind of was like, Oh, what if it's you know, an online home decor brand? And I was like, there are so many of those that's not really filling a hole in the market unless someone has my exact taste. So that had been on the back burner, and then once we had this conversation about hosting her sprinkle, um, I was like, wow, this could be really be something, you know, FET is a party, vignette is a styled space, and I was like, it still works for what we're creating. And so started working on that January of 2025. Um, a lot of just like cleaning out our basement so I have room for all this inventory that I'm gonna have to have and offer people and working on a website, um, logos and all of that, and then launched in the spring of last year. So we've been around for about a year, which is nice to now kind of know what the cadence of the business is like and have learned a lot along the way. But initially we started just as kind of a boutique tablescape rental company servicing Birmingham, Alabama. Um, and since then we've grown, which is really exciting. But the rental aspect has kind of, you know, given me a touch point to the community that I didn't have otherwise. I did a lot of flowers when I was doing those styled shoots. So we offer some specific florals for events and things like that, holidays as well. So that's kind of how it came about in the beginning.

SPEAKER_00 22:08

I love that. And I just, as you were talking, I'm like, oh my gosh, we have crossed paths so many times over the years. And I love seeing where you are now and how passionate you are about this amazing business.

SPEAKER_01 22:21

It looks like to you, like, okay, you know, my path has not been linear, but all of these little pockets are starting to form something that actually makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 22:28

It does. No, it makes total sense. Um, okay, so when you launched the business then, what did that look like? Like, were you going and buying, you know, a lot of tabletop products? And you've mentioned having to clear out your basement to store stuff and work from there. Um, what did like those little details look like um in setting up the business for success?

SPEAKER_01 22:51

So from blogging, I feel like I had a lot of stuff, some of which was gifted, which was so generous. Um, so I did feel like I had a good starting point. I think my husband may say, like, oh, maybe you're a little bit of a hoarder, but at least now you can make money from your hoarding. Um, but so I had some things to offer, and I knew just based on doing that sprinkle, what were kind of the holes that make the largest impact. So, you know, not everyone has a plastic table in their basement. If you do, I bet you use it more than you think you would. But being able to rent, you know, the tables, the chairs, and the items that go on it were our priority at first. So our folding bamboo chairs have stayed our top rental. Everyone needs extra seating for parties. Um, but those take up a lot of space. So some of the other tabletop items have been fun to add in over time just for people to create a different look for their event. Um, it's also led to some, you know, larger scale events where kind of full service, setting up, doing the flowers, planning it with my clients, which is really, really fun.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

So it's evolved to not just, you know, renting pieces, but also florals, like you mentioned. And then it sounds like a little bit of helping with party planning or event planning as well. Is that right?

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Yeah, small scale, definitely. Um, I have a couple of clients where they've asked me to do some wedding design where, you know, I am pointing them in the direction of rental companies in their area that have the inventory to fit their capacity, but pulling together, you know, different linen. Some people don't either feel like they have the eye for it or they just want a second opinion. And so that's been a fun kind of extension of the business that never meant to come up as an offering. Um, but as it's asked about, has made a lot of sense to provide to clients.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

And so obviously, you know, you had your first customer essentially being a family member. How did you get the word out and get new customers? Like what's worked? Has it been mostly word of mouth, like doing one event and then someone sees that and asks about it, or is it social media or just you know, networking?

SPEAKER_01 24:52

It's kind of a combination. I have to give my mother-in-law a lot of credit. I joke that I need to just like print out business cards with her name on them too. Um, she has a lot of friends in the area because my husband's from Birmingham, um, and she has helped a lot. I mean, I swear she takes her friend's phone and it's like, okay, you're gonna follow her. This is the perfect fit. So I'm lucky to have a community surrounding me that is interested in what I'm doing and knows the right people that want help with that. Birmingham is one of those cities too, where people really like to host, but they may not have the time to do it all themselves or you know, want to take that on with the other jobs they have. Um, so it's been a nice market for me to kind of get a foot in the door. Social media has been really helpful as well. Um, but it's kind of a combination of everything. I feel like I haven't had a ton of time to market in the way that you know is in the back of my brain to do so. But I'm hoping, you know, starting this summer I can do a little bit more of that as I take on this role a little bit more full-time than I have previously.

SPEAKER_00 25:57

Definitely. So we have to talk about the Mahjong um tablecloth. I have one, my followers have seen me post about it on social media. So tell me about how those came to be and kind of weave in with the rest of the business then.

SPEAKER_01 26:12

Yes, that has been another kind of unexpected extension of the business in the very best way. Um, I think that I knew that, you know, there was gonna be slow periods where people are, you know, you're tired after Christmas of hosting and doing all these things. And so I knew that January and February were gonna be slow and had received a tablecloth similar that was just left over from an event. Um I ordered a couple of those, they weren't in stock anymore, and they kept getting rented. I think that people, you know, as Mahjong has it's been around for a long time, but as it's grown in popularity recently, um, I think that people realize, like, okay, a square table is gonna be really nice to actually set up for this. So I was doing bundles with these tablecloths, and um eventually my husband was like, Yeah, you should try to make these. People keep reaching out asking if they can buy them and it's your rental inventory. And so I was like, okay, surely I can make this happen, and had the goal to do it before Christmas. Um, and I think that I started working on that in October, which was pretty delusional to think like, okay, I can manufacture this product, get samples, make all the tweaks that I wanted to make to make them my own, um, and get them in people's hands before Christmas. But somehow we made it happen. And there was a lot of just back-end research. I my friend's favorite questions to ask me are how on earth did you find a manufacturer to do this? And me and Google spent a lot of time together. I tried to start in the States just with tariffs and all of that, just being uncertain, um, but found that my pricing would have to be so high that it wouldn't be great for gifting. And I kind of wanted to prioritize that, um, especially as we were getting started. So eventually I found my manufacturer there in India. Um, I did a lot of back-end research just to see, like, okay, you know, this is who other tabletop brands are using, and seeing when I found a name in common and would reach out. Um, so I looked into my vendor, which is, I mean, truly such a blessing because I could have been doing research for a long time on that. It's a lot of WhatsApp communication late at night because that's when they're starting their work day. Um, but their pricing and just the relationship I've built with them has been really great. And I think that it's nice that they are so supportive and want this to be successful because they see it as something that could be successful for both of us.

SPEAKER_02 28:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:39

Um, so we ended up getting just under a hundred units of our tablecloths in I think it was beginning of December, or maybe it was right before Thanksgiving, because I was able to shoot everything and then launch it December of 2025. So, you know, these tablecloths are still very young, and I'm still figuring it out along the way. I remember my manufacturer, we were talking about payment, and I kind of was like, you know, this is a shot in the dark. We've had great conversations, and there's no reason I shouldn't trust them. But when you're sending large sums of money, you never know. But they kept telling me, like, okay, we need you to make a swift payment and explaining all of this. And here I am, little miss naive, being like, Well, I'd love to make this payment swiftly, but you haven't told me where I need to make it. And you know, that's a type of payment that I had no idea that it's not the speed at which I was paying. So we have learned a lot along the way, and they are so patient with me. But yes, the tablecloths have been a huge success and another kind of arm of the business that I didn't expect to come about. But, you know, being able to go beyond our Birmingham community and have people use these all over is just really, really exciting. Definitely.

SPEAKER_00 29:54

I feel like I had to have been one of the first customers. You were very early on. Because I remember I had it for a holiday um theme mahjong that I did before Christmas.

SPEAKER_01 30:04

So I think you reached out when it was still just a very early like you need to be on my email list that you know about this launch. Because I just, I mean, it's so hard to forecast people's interest. And I definitely, you know, underestimated people's interest, which is probably just you know being practical and not expecting something to take off in that way. But we have continued to order more units, continue to sell out, which is just crazy. And I think I sit around and question often, I'm like, okay, well, have we reached our threshold? And you look at these other mahjong brands and you're like, certainly not. There are people that have 11 sets of$400 tiles, and you know, they need a tablecloth to match each set.

SPEAKER_00 30:46

Exactly. Oh my gosh. I I love that. So, what would you say, you know, is the hardest part? And then the flip side, your favorite, the best part. It sounds like, you know, there's some learning curves with manufacturing and things like that, but I'm curious your your take on it.

SPEAKER_01 31:03

I think, you know, thinking about the business as a whole with the tablecloth aspect and the rental aspect, the very best part has been the people that rent from me in Birmingham. Um, there's some girls that have rented and are like, can we go out for a glass of wine? I just feel like we'd be friends. And so it's so nice to kind of expand beyond just the friends I have or different age groups and either make a name for myself, but also involve myself and what they're doing. So that has been so wonderful. Um, I think that I'm lucky that for the most part, with small-scale events, I'm in an industry where as long as it comes together in a way that's pretty and convenient and effortless, which effortless entertaining is kind of like the backbone of our business, um, they're happy. And so, you know, I get a lot of repeat clients and I feel like it's so fun where I like have notes. I'm like, okay, so and so is turning to this month. How exciting, you know, let's see what chairs they need this year or what their theme is gonna be. Um, but on the flip side, the hardest part has definitely been forecasting demand of our purchasable products. Okay. Um, I am self-funded, so you know, sending these large sums of money for a product that I believe in is exciting, but also nerve-wracking. So knowing how many units of a certain print are gonna sell without it being one of those things where it sells out before we can get more has been something that I am still learning. We have a lot of inventory coming in over the next couple months. And I looked at my husband and was like, I've never spent so much money in one sitting, and we have some exciting launches coming along with that, which is great. But, you know, I had no idea that our Dottie and Green print is gonna be the best seller and continue to sell out. I mean, you know, it's just it's so hard to figure that out on the front end um without even having the customer base to know how to pull them because we were so heavily into rentals at first.

SPEAKER_00 33:01

No, that's so true. I think I have that green one, don't I?

SPEAKER_01 33:04

Yes, I think you have green and then you have one other, don't you?

SPEAKER_00 33:06

No, I just have one.

SPEAKER_01 33:07

I just have one. I can remember. I was like, does she have one or two?

SPEAKER_00 33:10

Okay, yeah, you I think you definitely have the green one. Yeah, I have the green one, which um it's like, you know, I'm sure it's hard because green, I think, is just trending right now with interiors. I've always loved green, like my whole house has been green, you know, for over 10 years. But I do think, yes, things like that. You're like, maybe next year the hot color is blue again. Like blue was so big a couple of years ago. Um, so I do think with every business, like trend predictions and things like that are always so hard. You don't know what what's gonna be the hot seller.

SPEAKER_01 33:40

Oh, yeah. I mean, I'm still learning that and I definitely want to do some more prints in the future. Um, but my manufacturer was like, okay, we're not gonna do this like rush order at the end of the year telling me when Diwali is. And I'm like, yes, please take your time off. But I didn't know that was gonna mean that I need to kind of plan out what I'm launching at Christmas in June. Um, I keep reminding them, I'm like, I don't know how to anticipate demand, and there are all these products that I want to work on and sample in the in-between. Um, so I'm like, I have my work cut out for me for the next couple of months to make sure that we're launching the things we want to and paying attention to what the demand is. I mean, people keep asking, they're like, I need another green print tablecloth. I'm like, I'm on it, but I also don't want to launch one that then competes with the one we already have. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:27

So it's a lot to learn. That's so true. Um, so speaking of that, you know, uh business, there's there's so much to learn and it's always changing. Is there a resource that you rely on with anything with business? And it could be a great app that you use that helps you structure your day, or it could be a book that you read about entrepreneurship or a group you're part of. Like any resources that you could share for listeners?

SPEAKER_01 34:53

I wish I had better answers. I listen, I mean, I listen to a lot of podcasts. I've listened to yours for a long time and just love hearing about businesses and businesses getting started. Um, I often find myself like pausing and taking notes just to make sure that I don't miss anything since other small business owners that are going through the same thing are such a resource. Yes. Um, whether they're just saying, like, this is who we use to get the tape we like for our box. I'm like, great, you're saving me a step. I'm sure you've done cost and you know quality analysis, but that is one way. Um beyond that, I definitely want to get more involved with some groups just to get you know an outside perspective of what I'm doing to be able to see where I can work on marketing or product launches or things like that. But um, podcasts are definitely high on my list. And then also I feel like I there Birmingham has a great community of just creative entrepreneurs, and I look to them for resources often too, but usually that's just a text and hey, can I pick your brain? Can we get coffee? Do you think this is a good idea? Um, and I'm very, very appreciative that people allow me to bargain their time that way.

SPEAKER_00 36:04

Yeah, no, for sure. It's always good to bounce ideas off of someone else, or even I always say, even if it's someone that you know you're not necessarily getting information from, but it's someone that like can commiserate on certain things with you, like having a friend that's an entrepreneur, and you guys can just have a glass of wine and be like, you know, this is really tough right now, and no one else understands it because no one else is an entrepreneur, and so just have a you know, someone there to listen and I know I think that and my husband definitely feels this way of like, okay, well, I don't really have coworkers in this, but you are my unplayed unpaid employee, and I need your input.

SPEAKER_01 36:39

And he's like, I don't even really know what we're talking about when it comes to influencer marketing or whatever. Um, that you know, my parents will call me and they're like, our phone calls feel a little bit longer now. You clearly don't have someone to talk to during the day. I'm like, yeah, it's just me like hoping that I'm on the right track with what I'm doing. And so far it's proved that hopefully I am, but we'll see how it continues to grow too.

SPEAKER_00 37:03

Totally. What is a dream that you have for the business? Like, is there a magazine you hope to get featured in? Is there someone you'd love to collaborate with or anything like that, like a goal or a dream that you have?

SPEAKER_01 37:20

Right now I'm kind of smart starting smaller of I would love to just get in front of people in the term of like a pop-up or being able to be more out there with the rental business. Obviously, that is very location-based. But now with these tablecloths, being able to travel and pop up at different stores or have different opportunities like that, that's pretty high on my list for 2026. Um, we also are excitedly working on launching wholesale, which I mean, I had no idea that that was gonna be a request we've gotten so early. Um, and that's a whole different beast of just like, you know, inventory and what's gonna be for wholesale and what's gonna be for direct to consumer. Um, but we have a great list of some boutiques and brands that have reached out to start doing that early on. So we're gonna start that small scale. Um, I definitely thought I had until summer to do that, and we were getting requests for that in January when you know the tablecloths were one month old. So um that's been interesting to build out and just a whole nother element of it. So I'm trying to be realistic about what I can kind of get to this year, especially with getting all the products I want sampled and made and accessible to people in the prints that they want to purchase. But beyond that, I mean anytime I can be in person either at a mahjong event or retreat or something like that, I think I am eager to jump on it.

SPEAKER_00 38:43

Yeah, for sure. Uh, since this is the preppy podcast, I always ask everyone what does preppy mean to you? So, how would you describe preppy?

SPEAKER_01 38:53

I think preppy is probably polished. Um, I think a lot of times people immediately think of like the preppy handbook and you know, pop collars and things like that. But more than anything, I think it just feels put together. And for me personally, I think that you know something feels preppy when it's elevated but still classic. Um, you can add a unique element in there, but it's not gonna, you know, be regrettable later on. So I think that feeling polished is definitely um what preppy means to me.

SPEAKER_00 39:25

Yeah, and I was gonna say, I mean, you're a blog with prepping yourself.

SPEAKER_01 39:29

So you you know preppy. Yes, yes. I mean, yeah, started back in the days of like all things Lily Pulitzer and um pink and green everything, which I still love, but I think that you know, as I've gotten older, I've realized it's more so like classic, timeless, beyond just what the like preppy trends seem to be. And I think that that's been um something that's fun to see in the terms of tablescaping too, of just like you're showing up for your guests, you're caring about the details, um, and the final result just feels put together.

SPEAKER_00 39:59

Yeah, no, that makes total sense. Um, I'm curious, you know, with with both of the businesses, are there any other businesses that you know pair really well with them or you really enjoy and people should check out um and support that you're always using?

SPEAKER_01 40:18

Oh gosh, that's a great question. Um, I feel like as we look for inventory, we're constantly looking at small brands that are doing things in the entertaining space, but ones that stand out right away are kind of hard to come up with. I'm sure as soon as we get off the call, they'll all just flood my brain. Um, it's been really, really fun to see all of the different Mahjong tile brands that are out there. So much. I I mean, I feel like I'm almost just, you know, fake in this way of I learned Mahjong, oh my gosh, a year ago in February. So I'm still very new at it and by no means a pro, but here I am where people are coming to me with all these questions, and I'm like, you're probably more experienced in that than I am, but I love seeing all the different brands that people pair their tiles and mats and um racks and lamps, everything with our tablecloths. Um, I feel like I've been exposed to some really great people that way. And then also the community of mahjong teachers is so vast. Um, and they, I mean, are so supportive of businesses in this realm. So that's been really fun. I feel like that kind of leads out the rental aspect of it, but um, because that is so location based, I think that, you know, I'm just seeing more of the support and the community and there's quite a community around Mahjong. So oh my gosh, it's like needlepoint too. I mean, you get them both. Um, so it's been really fun. I mean, I'm just like, okay, I don't need 14 sets of tiles, but like, you know, if I'm gonna have a photo shoot with all these tablecloths, they need to match well, and I've got to highlight different brands. I'm like, if that's how I'm selling myself on it, I'm creating a brand problem. That's so funny. You could start running Mahjong sets. We do. We do some with racks and cards. Now I've got to get on the 2026 card now that that's launching, but um, that's been fun for people locally to be able to, you know, ease into the the trend and the the love of it. I mean, kind of the cult of it before they start buying all their own things.

SPEAKER_00 42:20

Yeah, that's so smart. Um, any sneak peeks or anything you're working on that you can share with listeners that they can keep an eye out for?

SPEAKER_01 42:28

Yes, so we have a couple product launches that by the time this is up should be live or should be coming very soon. Um, we have been sampling, and I have it right here, some tabletop rechargeable lamp shades to accompany with our tablecloth. So we'll have these, they'll have uh piping that's in contrast. Um that's a really fun lower price point item where whether you're entertaining or you're playing mahjong, those will be fun for people to have. Another great like giftable price point. Um, and then we're also obviously, since we're focusing on those like purchasable entertaining pieces, I have some cushions, and that is one of my top questions after someone asks, you know, what tablecloth print do you think I should share or style with my tiles? And so now we are launching um some different cushions too. So these are great for that like floating bamboo chair. This is our ticking stripe in light pink style. Um but also work for other chairs as well. They just tie on the back. So I'm excited that people can either match their tablecloth with those to make it really comfortable when people are playing together, um, or even at a dinner party. But I think that they'll be able to mix and match really well. And I can't wait to see tables that just are like fully fet and vignette with whatever tiles and racks they choose.

SPEAKER_00 43:48

Oh my gosh, that is so exciting, Dorothy, and it all makes so much sense. So I I love it. I'm so excited for you in these.

SPEAKER_01 43:54

I know it's been hard to like keep it under wraps and know kind of, you know, do I want to start sharing about that? Before we're launching them. And, you know, there's just so much about the business where I'm like, I should know that photo shoots and styling, all of that need to come first. But you just get so excited for something to come to fruition that you've, you know, sampled and sent so many different like measurements and guides on. I think we're on um iteration three or four of the lamp shades because I am so particular of like, let's make sure they fit a variety of the lamps that you know aren't too long past the actual metal part of the shade. So it's been really exciting to work on that and know that they are so close.

SPEAKER_00 44:34

I love that. Well, thank you for sharing that sneak peek. Um so final question: where can people find you? Where can they shop? Where can they um inquire about rentals? Let them know.

SPEAKER_01 44:47

So our website is probably the best place for everything. Um it's www.fetandvignette.com. Um, double check the spelling on that. I know that that's a tricky one, which maybe I should have thought about when launching the name of the business, but I was very married to the idea of it early on. So we are fully set up to be rentable on there. All of our rentals are two-day rental periods for those clients local in Birmingham. And then we have a purchase tab. So anything under that tab is available to ship nationwide. Um, we try to ship next day, if not, you know, within two days. So that's been really fun to see where all of our tablecloths and products end up. And then, you know, for inspiration, ideas, all of that at Fet and Vignette on Instagram and on our website. You can also sign up for our email list. Those subscribers always get first dibs on product launches and kind of behind the scenes. But we also try to make sure that we share parties that can be recreated, different tips, things like that, where you know, even if you're not based in Birmingham but love entertaining, there's something for you there too.

unknown 45:52

Perfect.

SPEAKER_00 45:53

Well, thank you so much, Dorothy. I really enjoyed our conversation as always.

SPEAKER_01 45:56

Yes, this was so much fun. It's so much fun to connect in this way and feel like, you know, I have a brand that's worth sharing.

SPEAKER_00 46:03

Thank you so much for listening to the Preppy Podcast. I hope this put a little prep in your step for the day. Please subscribe, rate, and review on wherever you listen to your podcast. And follow along with at the Preppy Podcast on social media.