The Front Porch JXN

ABOUT THE STORE

The Front Porch JXN

ABOUT US For the love of flowers - The Front Porch JXN was born out of a sincere love for plants and appreciation for locally grown blooms and the wonderful pollinators that they support. The most common question that we receive as people peruse our bouquets is: ​ "Where do you get the flowers?" ​The answer is two parts. In the summer, we grow them! Yes, really. Most of our beauties are grown right on site at The Front Porch in Jackson (Kendra's house). After learning about the ecological impact of the global flower industry, why not put a love of flowers to good use? We grow and cultivate with our friendly local pollinators in mind - and YOU! Did you know that most grocery store bouquets contain flowers that were shipped in from overseas? When you buy an arrangement like this, you are buying something that was grown very far away, treated with chemicals (that often kill pollinators), harvested way before prime, shipped across the globe, and finally set out for you to buy. We lovingly nourish and care for each of our plants and encourage native pollinators to fill our gardens. We also believe there is beauty in variety and native flowers, grasses, and foliage and include as much as we can in each arrangement. We are constantly working to bring in not only our favorite plants but ones that grow locally. Our flower beds don't look like soldiers of plants in rows - we take a more natural, free-flowing approach to growing. We have weeds. We let clover take over and replenish the soil naturally. We have untidy lawns and natural paths. We let things self seed sometimes and spread naturally where they want to grow. We collect and curate but in an open and warm way rather than controlled and sterile. ​ The second part of the year involves purchasing flowers wholesale - living in Michigan, there is just no way around it. We also order flowers for weddings and events if certain varieties are needed. ​ Our locally grown flowers are available April through October only. ​Flowers November through March are purchased wholesale.

ABOUT THE OWNER

Kendra Dolson

Kendra is the gal behind the Front Porch. What started as a love of growing flowers quickly turned into a micro flower farm in the city and then a full on flower shop. This small family run business has gone from selling flowers of the front porch to markets to a downtown shop location and back to the front porch. Kendra specializes in unique, high-end florals that aren't found in most traditional florist shops - includes cottage and locally grown varieties, garden roses, and lots of textures. Kendra is a wife and mother of five children. She was a Detroit area wedding photographer for 10 years before venturing into florals. Together with her husband, Gabe, they run The Front Porch jxn as a family out of their family home - a 1900 Victorian that they are restoring. Flowers are grown on site pesticide free!