Nester, Napa style

Before KC Cunningham turned Napa Home & Garden into a successful manufacturer of high-end decor, she was perfectly content puttering around in her own Napa home and garden. Her move into the decorative accessories industry was accidental — one that came late in life and for which she credits husband, Jerry, her business partner.

KC Cunningham was enjoying an early retirement following the couple's sale of their financial services business in California when Jerry invested in a gift company. She describes the copper and metal products import company as a disaster. “I was pulled kicking and screaming out of retirement to help turn around the business,” she said.

But several years later, her experience building, remodeling and decorating homes in Napa Valley had helped grow the business into the highly successful Napa Home & Garden. “While living in Napa, I had the privilege of working with world class decorators and an incredibly talented horticulturist,” she said. “We were fortunate to have one home on the cover of Traditional Home and our garden was widely published. I found myself deeply involved in every aspect of all of the projects and, in the process, developed my personal style for home decor and gardening.”

The couple recently set about expanding showroom space in the major markets to house a growing selection of ceramics, glass, wrought iron, wood products, patio furniture and wire decor and accessories. Cunningham oversees all company operations and is responsible for product development and selection. “I was born to shop and Napa allows me to shop the world discovering or developing new lines,” she said.

She also enjoys finding new artists to design for Napa, a roster that includes Helmut Dirr, Randy Ouzts, Richard Taylor and Guy Wolff. “Our stable of great artisans continues to grow and they expand our design capabilities and our ability to continue our positive growth,” she said.

The company's rapid growth also necessitated the Cunninghams' relocation from California to the East Coast, where they divide their time between a high-rise Atlanta condominium in Buckhead, and a Highlands, N.C., mountain lodge. Now they not only live closer to the company's operations and warehouse, but also to their 32-year-old son and his family who live in Atlanta.

The Cunninghams spend most of their weekends in the Blue Ridge Mountain resort town of Highlands, where their property consists of a woodland garden with streams, ponds, lake and golf course views. It's also where many of the indoor and outdoor photographs in Napa's ads, many of which feature Cunningham's welcoming smile, are taken.

Much of the company's catalog is also shot there, with KC close by. “I am at every photo shoot fussing over every detail — from where to photograph our products to styling them to deciding where they appear on the page,” she said.

Cunningham says the highlight of her career thus far has been the building of Napa Home & Garden into a successful company with her husband. “Jerry is my balance; he is the 'big strategy' guy as well as sales and finance. We are very proud of Napa Home & Garden, not only of the products we sell but also our dedicated and loyal staff that makes it all happen,” she said. “It's a very satisfying feeling.”

And although the couple enjoys traveling together on behalf of the company, Cunningham defines her perfect vacation as being at home among friends in their Blue Ridge mountain setting. “I really am a nester at heart.”

But there's also no denying that she's a very hard worker. An employee acknowledged that fact recently, calling her the hardest working person in the company. “I think they (Napa employees) would also say I am very organized, detail oriented and passionate about how Napa is presented, which includes the products we sell, the catalog, show room merchandising and advertising and most importantly how we treat our customers,” she said.

So how does this hard working business woman/gardener/designer/marketing whiz unwind? “In the garden overlooking the pond at sunset with my husband, my sweet Cavalier King Charles, Emma, and a good glass of Napa Valley chardonnay,” she said. “But then I must get up and get moving, pull a weed, plant a fern, plan a dinner party … I don't sit around much.”