Meet Christina Barringer | Owner- Flowers On Main St

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christina Barringer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
Owning a small business is tough. No- that’s an understatement. It’s the toughest thing I’ve ever done in my life so far!

For about a year and a half now, I’ve been working seven days a week, 10 to 17 hours a day. This is without even paying myself. And most of it is not comprised of anything fun. I’m responsible for my people, making sure every detail is taken care of, and also damage control: any angry customers or clients, etc.; that’s on me. Everything is.

Most days I wake up, put on some clothes, and head to the shop. Then I’m there until everything for the day is finished – however, long that may take me. Then I drive home again, shower, eat, and sleep – just to do it all over again the following day…. and that’s for the foreseeable future..
This is beyond exhausting!

But then there are those days that I receive a voicemail from a customer who’s niece just passed away that was 14 years old who had cancer, letting me know how beautiful my work was and how much my compassion was appreciated by the whole family, and most of all, how much that really meant to them. That keeps me going.

Also, there are the days where I teach workshops on how to do the craft that I know how to do. Seeing the delight, and how proud people are of what they’ve made, fills my bucket. Full.

In the first year and a half, I can say, without a doubt, that 90% of what I do is stressful, exhausting, and more than I ever thought any human was capable of doing.

The thing that keeps me going though is making a difference in other peoples lives. This is how I know to keep going; it fills my bucket, even if only 10% of the time. That 10% is worth it to me.

Finding the joy and remembering that this is not going to be easy, nor is it going to get easier, I’ll just get better, is what keeps me going.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Our flower shop is in downtown Carbondale Colorado. It’s a place where you can come in and touch the flowers and smell them and put them together if you want. It’s an all-around lovely place to be. An experience to take with you.

Getting here has not been easy for me. I’ve always been a paycheck to paycheck, part-time employee, never knowing how to make ends meet until the last minute.

Then one day, something just clicked. And also all the pieces fell into place – not easily, but perfectly.

I’ve never been a money-driven person; I’ve always been someone who wants to connect with people. That’s what gives me joy.

Figuring out how to do that while being profitable has taken a while.

I can’t think of a place I would rather be spending most of my time doing what I love to do.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Definitely rafting down the river and Avalanche Ranch- natural hot springs.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I won’t name names here, but really the people that deserve credit for this every challenging person I’ve encountered so far up until this. Those people who I hated what they were doing or saying, at the time, who challenged me to really push it to my limits to see what I can do – they deserve all this credit. I wouldn’t be as resilient without them.

Website: https://flowersonmainst.com/

Instagram: @flowersonmain_st