WHAT’S GOOD?

The New Whittick’s Online Store Is Officially Live

After months of planning, tweaking, testing, reorganizing, changing our minds, changing them back, and probably staring at more website settings than any reasonable person should, the new Whittick’s Design Collective online store is officially live.

This wasn’t simply about giving the website a facelift. We wanted to create a shopping experience that better reflects where Whittick’s is headed — easier to navigate, easier to shop, more intentional in the way products are organized, and flexible enough to grow with us as the business continues to evolve.

And grow it will. We are actively receiving several pallets, shipments, and new product lines that will continue making their way onto the site over the next month or so. What you see today is absolutely not everything that is coming. New ribbon, florals, seasonal goods,s and plenty of other finds are already working their way through the warehouse and onto the website.

That means this is definitely one of those seasons where you’ll want to check back often. Some items will be restocked. Some will not. Some will probably disappear much faster than we expect. That’s simply part of the fun.

We’re celebrating the launch during our Thursday Night Live Sale on September 17 at 6:00 PM CST on TikTok @whittickscg, with store-credit giveaways, gift certificates, and a few other surprises along the way.

We’ve worked incredibly hard to reach this point, and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with the people who helped us get here.

FROM THE WAREHOUSE

We Have Air Conditioning. This Is Not a Drill.

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We've spent much of the last month and a half getting the Whittick’s warehouse organized and ready for everything coming next. And then there was the air conditioning.

We knew from the beginning that a Texas warehouse in the middle of summer would need A/C. We did not anticipate receiving quotes ranging from roughly $6,000 to $26,000 and suddenly finding ourselves evaluating commercial cooling options.

Because this warehouse is a leased space, we also had to be practical about what made sense for the time we have committed to the building. Thankfully, we eventually found a solution that works for the space, our business, and where Whittick’s is right now. So we are very happy to report that the warehouse is officially cooled off from the whole situation — literally.

We’ve also had some fantastic extra helping hands lately, which has allowed us to establish better systems, organize inventory more intentionally, and create a much more functional home for all the products arriving now and over the coming months.

We could have rushed this process. We could have poured money into trying to make a temporary space perfect. Instead, we’ve focused on what we need today, what serves the business, and what lets us keep growing without building just for the sake of building.

And there are definitely a lot more boxes headed our way.

MEET MILLS FLORAL

Where Family, Creativity & a Little Dirt Under Your Fingernails Come Together

If you’ve been watching our recent lives, you’ve probably heard us talking about Mills Floral — and there’s a very good reason for that.

Yes, their botanically accurate, real-touch florals are incredible. They’re the kind of stems that make you stop, reach out and touch them, and then question whether someone quietly slipped a real plant into the display.

But the more we’ve gotten to know Mills Floral, the more we’ve realized the products are only part of what makes the company special.

Behind those beautiful botanicals is an even better story.

Mills Floral is based in Duluth, Georgia, and today the company is carried forward by sisters Amy and Becky, the second generation of their family business. They didn’t simply step into the company as adults — in many ways, they grew up right alongside it.

They remember those early days when creating meant heading into the backyard with their family, gathering natural materials and helping get everything ready for craft shows. At the time, it was simply what the family did. There were things to gather, things to make, shows to prepare for, and everybody pitched in.

Looking back now, those moments feel a little different. What once seemed like ordinary family work became time spent creating together, learning together, and watching their mother build something from the ground up.

That part of their story really stuck with us.

Maybe creating was never supposed to be something we always did alone. Maybe some of the best memories really do happen around a table covered in supplies, with half-finished projects everywhere, someone asking where the scissors went for the fifth time, and the people you love creating right beside you.

Years later, you may not remember exactly what you made. But you’ll remember who was sitting around that table.

That sentiment is a big part of why our relationship with Mills Floral feels so natural. At Whittick’s, we’ve always believed that what we make matters, but who we make it with, who we share it with, and the memories created along the way matter even more.

Our first Mills Floral shipments are already making their way from Whittick’s into customers’ homes, and we’re incredibly excited for you to experience these products in person.

A Little More Mills Is Coming...

We’ll soon sharesoon share a conversation with Amy and Becky about Mills Floral’s roots, their family history, and some of the stories we had the chance to hear while getting to know them. Nothing overly formal — just a chance for you to spend a few minutes with two women we’ve genuinely enjoyed getting to know.

And this is only the beginning. Very soon, The Mills Minute will become a regular part of our monthly issues of The Goods — a little pause centered around creativity, family, tradition, and the memories we make along the way.

Because sometimes the best thing we create isn’t the thing sitting on the table when we’re finished. It’s the memory of who was sitting there with us.

Stay tuned. There’s plenty more Mills to come.

BEYOND THE GOODS

THE LANGUAGE OF RIBBON

Our First Installment

If you spend enough time around ribbon, eventually you realize that it has a language all its own.

Plaid. Gingham. Buffalo check. Taffeta. Dupioni. Bias cut. Royal burlap. Wired. Double-sided. Designer ribbon.

We use these terms all the time during live sales. Still, after years of working with ribbon, florals, wreaths, and seasonal décor, some of that terminology has become so familiar to us that we occasionally forget not everyone has spent years immersed in this wonderfully creative world. That’s exactly why we’re introducing a brand-new recurring feature in The Goods: The Language of Ribbon.

Each issue, we’ll break down some of the terms, fabrics, patterns, finishes, construction methods, and techniques you hear us mention, and explain them in a way that is practical, approachable, and actually useful. The goal is simple: we want every issue to leave you knowing something you didn’t know before and give you something tangible you can use the next time you choose a ribbon, build a bow, or plan a design.

For our very first installment, we’re starting with two fundamentals: pattern and fabric.

PLAID IS THE FAMILY

Plaid is the umbrella term.

A plaid pattern is created when horizontal and vertical lines intersect to form a repeating check pattern. Those lines may vary in width, spacing, color, and complexity, which means two ribbons can look completely different from one another and still belong to the plaid family. 

Some plaids are simple. Others are incredibly detailed. Some use only two colors, while others combine several shades to create depth and movement. The intersecting pattern is the common denominator. Everything else becomes personality.

GINGHAM IS ONE MEMBER OF THE FAMILY

Here’s where a lot of people get tripped up:

Every gingham is a plaid, but not every plaid is a gingham.

A true gingham features evenly sized, symmetrical checks created using just two colors. The spacing is balanced, the pattern is orderly, and the overall appearance feels timeless.

Think picnic blankets, vintage tablecloths, spring wreaths, farmhouse décor, and classic Americana. Gingham can feel clean, welcoming, cheerful,l and familiar, which is why it works beautifully when you want a softer or more traditional pattern in a design.

BUFFALO CHECK IS THE BOLD COUSIN

Buffalo check is often confused with gingham because the basic layout is very similar. The biggest difference is scale.

Buffalo check typically uses much larger squares, creating significantly more visual impact. Traditionally, it’s especially recognizable in black paired with another color — particularly the iconic red-and-black combination associated with Christmas decorating.

If gingham whispers, buffalo check makes an entrance.

That larger scale naturally draws the eye, which makes buffalo check especially effective when you want a bow, wreath, centerpiece, or tree to carry more visual weight.

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

Because pattern influences personality.

A small gingham creates a very different feeling from a large buffalo check even when the colors are identical. One might feel soft while the other feels bold. One can read as refined while another feels rustic.

Designers aren’t simply matching colors. We’re making decisions about pattern, texture, proportion, scale,e and visual weight — all of which help determine the story the finished design tells.

FROM PATTERN TO FABRIC

Taffeta vs. Dupioni

Now that we’ve talked about what you see, let’s talk about what the ribbon is actually made from.

Taffeta and dupioni aren’t patterns, collections, ns or brand names. They refer to the fabric itself, and that fabric can dramatically change how a ribbon looks, feels, and behaves once you begin working with it.

TAFFETA

Smooth. Crisp. Refined.

Taffeta is known for its smooth finish, crisp hand, and polished appearance. Its tightly woven fibers give it excellent structure, which is why bows made from taffeta can hold beautifully defined loops and elegant tails.

When we want something tailored, classic and impeccably finished, taffeta is often a natural choice.