Nashville Spotlight: FLWR Shop embraces the Airbnb community

We’re excited to continue the Nashville Spotlight series — a weekly highlight of stories from the local home sharing community. Nashville residents have democratized travel by turning their largest expense — their homes — into an asset to earn extra income, allowing travelers to live like locals and generate economic activity across the city.

Quinn and Alex are two green thumbs who were able to realize their dream of owning a business with FLWR Shop. “We’ve always had the ambition to start something of our own,” says an enthusiastic Quinn. “And Nashville was the place we could do it.”

Having lived in California, New York, Central America and South Florida, the couple picked Nashville to call home for a specific reason. “It’s hard to start a business in a big city,” Quinn says. “So we researched and saw how quickly Nashville was growing and attracting all different types of people, and we thought we could come here and do something rewarding.”

Side Bar: get a peek inside the beautiful FLWR Shop

FLWR Shop, a full-service flower boutique and design studio, is an East Nashville staple and go-to destination for the Airbnb community. “Airbnb hosts are great customers!” exclaims Quinn. “Many hosts simply want to spruce up their listings, and plants are an easy way to do that.” The shop also frequented by a surprising amount of Airbnb guests who discover the neighborhood shop by simply walking by. “We get a lot of flower sales from Airbnb guests visiting for special occasions, like an anniversary,” Quinn says. “We’ll make a floral arrangement and deliver it to their listing when they arrive.”

“Airbnb is about community, and so is Nashville.”

Nashville’s small-town feel fosters organic relationships with the Airbnb community. “The entire Nashville culture is set up to meet and talk to people. You see people buying groceries, buying gas — eventually you learn that some of your neighbors and customers are Airbnb hosts,” notes Quinn. “You get to know these people on a more personal level. This is why Airbnb is so popular here: Airbnb is about community and so is Nashville.”

Quinn appreciates the time and care hosts invest into welcoming their guests. “What [Airbnb is] cultivating is not just about a commodity or a transaction,” he says. “It’s about the connection you make with your customers or guests, and the experience you provide.”

“When Airbnb guests spend money in East Nashville, it stays in East Nashville.”

Quinn and Alex are aware of the conversation around short-term rentals in Nashville, and as business owners, have thoughts on what home sharing brings to the city. “We don’t have a lot of big chains here — most businesses are locally owned and operated,” says Quinn. “So when Airbnb guests come here, they’re spending money in East Nashville and it’s staying right here in East Nashville. It’s fantastic for our city.”

Beyond the economic angle, home sharing brings another dynamic to Nashville, according to Quinn. “Home sharing encourages different types of people to come into your city. Some of those visitors will decide to move here thanks to Airbnb,” he notes. “They’re going to bring their ideas, their ambitions — it’s going to help advertise Nashville to a whole new group of people who may not have otherwise come here.”

“Home sharing is real people staying with real people.”

Ultimately for Quinn and Alex, embracing home sharing means embracing cultural diversity. “Home sharing makes the experience of visiting Nashville deeper because it’s real people staying with real people,” says Quinn. “That’s a great thing culturally for the city.”