SCOTTSDALE — “It’s still crazy. I remember the day the sign got put up outside our store,” said Dylan Capshaw.
Capshaw is truly living his dream.
“You’re kidding me?”
It’s a typical reaction when customers come into Stemistry in Scottsdale and find out its owner is the ripe old age of 16.
“For kids to have a dream or say, 'I want to start a business but I’m gonna wait until I’m an adult,' or wait until it happens, there’s no reason to wait,” said Capshaw.
This wunderkind is the living example of that motto. Believe it or not, he’s been pitching ideas since he was in grade school — just ask his mom.
“He was six, I have that on my phone, he would kill me if I showed anyone, but he pretended he was on Shark Tank and was promoting this bento box idea,” said Amy Okun Capshaw.
While that idea didn’t make it far, plenty of others did. The young man runs a wildlife foundation and manages vending machines providing sanitary products and PPE.
Capshaw was nominated for the Nickelodeon “Kid of the Year” in 2020 and now recently opened the doors to his new shop combining flowers and coffee.
“When I was 14, I started an online flower shop and I was selling flowers online. It was really just our landscaping — we had olive trees and citrus trees and I was cutting the branches and selling those,” said Capshaw.
He soon established relationships with exotic flower growers around the nation and world, purchasing them wholesale and selling them online.
“Fast forward two years, I would be up until two in the morning boxing orders, get home from school and immediately sit down, push homework aside and start boxing,” said Capshaw.
The business blossomed so well that Capshaw saved enough money to open his own storefront, called Stemistry. It offers a build-your-own bouquet experience along with unique coffee options — some even topped with edible mixed flowers.
“I think it’s beautiful, it’s comfy, it’s not crazy like a Starbucks,” said one customer today.
“I have a son who is a freshman in high school, and I can’t imagine him running a business. I am so impressed with this young man,” said another.
The store is hosting its soft opening this week and its grand opening celebration on Saturday where even the Scottsdale mayor plans on stopping by.
A young man’s hard work is paying off, proving age truly is just a number.