Photography by Caleb Shane
‘Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness’ – these powerful words are uniquely and undeniably American. This American Dreams series features ordinary people with extraordinary stories of success and advice for making the most of your dreams. It reiterates the importance of shop local + share local, a part of our culture that makes Central Arkansas unique.
“It is obvious that retail, interiors and floral are part of my DNA – I cannot seem to escape those things.”
Nearly two years ago, Adam Smith purchased Little Rock boutique White Goat, located in the Heights neighborhood, after serving as the creative director and buyer for the store. Adam has more than 20 years of retail and design experience including several years working with Keith James at Dauphine and ten years for Phil Cato at About Vase. “Working with Keith and Phil were both fabulous experiences. They were extremely talented, and they had both become masters in their fields. They each treated me as a designer and allowed me to express my own creativity,” Adams recalls.
Adam has recently incorporated floral services into the already unique items found at White Goat. “We have always considered introducing floral into White Goat, but recently it appeared that the time was right to bring it in full force.” In addition to the many projects in Arkansas, Adam’s wedding, event and design services have been used by clients in Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma and California. “It is obvious that retail, interiors and floral are part of my DNA – I cannot seem to escape those things.” Growing up in rural Arkansas, Adam was raised on a farm. His parents and grandparents were farmers. “I suppose I ended up owning my own business because of the multiple generations of business owners that influenced me, although what I do as a boutique owner is very different than farming. My parents and grandparents worked very hard and they worked day and night. As business owners, that is just part of it.”
White Goat will continue to sell Annie Sloan chalk paint, offer chalk painting services and chalk painting classes, as well as classes for floral design, holiday design and art.
