I treat my customers like friends,” Cari said. And they, in turn, treat Little Branch like family, nominating the store for several awards including the 2015 AVI choice for Best Landscape Store. “I didn’t even tell anyone to vote for us. I was really surprised with the results and it made me want to work harder for them.” The answer was a coy “yes.” “Many people want this so badly.” Okay, I’ll bite, what is it? “The majestic wisteria. My customers deserve it. And, I like the challenge.” Stunning is the only thing that came to mind and I couldn’t possibly do a majestic wisteria justice by reducing it to a several word description so I urge you to hop on Google as soon as possible. And then wait with impatient anticipation for Little Branch to inevitably announce when it’ll be released. As my time with Cari started to wind down I mentioned how fantastic it must be for him to see how much Little Branch has grown is such a short time. “You must be so proud,” I said. “The only thing I’m proud of is seeing my items used by talented photographers, builders and residents. They make them look great with amazing scenes. My goal is to make Second Life® look better so everybody can have a chill time and a good chat with friends.” Glancing up at the pretty lemon tree I’d been sitting under, I couldn’t agree more. Links: The Little Branch on Marketplace The Little Branch on Flickr
68
may / june 2016 - featured designer