Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — As a curious, college-educated woman in the early 1970s, Lorraine Miller did not appreciate a boss telling her to "stop asking questions and keep her woolly head out of the way." So she mustered her courage and opened her own business — a tiny plant shop that would eventually grow into a premier nursery in Salt Lake City.
Today, Cactus & Tropicals includes three locations, something Miller never dreamed of. "Heck no!" she laughs. "I never imagined anything. I never imagined getting beyond my first couple of greenhouses. And I ended up with nine."
It is remarkable, considering the discrimination she faced as a single woman. "This was the 1970s. Women were still asked for their husbands to sign for them to get a credit card. It was impossible to borrow money unless your husband cosigned," Miller said. "I couldn't borrow, and I couldn't grow without borrowing."
Eventually, she found a banker willing to support a female business owner. "He could see I was still wearing the same shoes I had seven years ago, and he wanted to help me get a new pair, I guess," she said, smiling.
That same banker later nominated Miller for the Small Business Person of the Year award, which she won. Her success led to other opportunities, including a stint on the board of the local Chamber of Commerce, as well as the advisory board for the Securities and Exchange Commission. Miller was also instrumental in starting the Utah Association of Women Business Owners.
"I loved learning about plants. I love learning about business. In fact, I might have fallen in love with the idea of growing a business more than growing plants," Miller said.
I am so proud of the fact that Cactus & Tropicals is over 50 years old now, and it still has almost 20 people that worked for me still working there.
–Lorraine Miller
She attributes the success to her business philosophy. "I wanted my own business to prove that I could be a boss that respected others, that wanted to see other people grow, to know that other people had talents and skills that they could develop."
Miller sold the business in 2002 to Scott and Karin Pynes, entrepreneurs who had the same philosophy and were willing to learn from Miller's long-time employees. The Pynes have since expanded it to two additional stores, in Midvale and Draper. Along with unique foliage, the nurseries now also serve as event centers for classes and weddings.
"I am so proud of the fact that Cactus & Tropicals is over 50 years old now, and it still has almost 20 people that worked for me still working there. That's the greatest joy in my life," Miller said.
Watch KSL's Beyond Business, in the video above, to learn more about how Miller turned Cactus & Tropicals into a stunning nursery in Salt Lake, and why it's still thriving today.
