We are Kate Fitzpatrick and Leigh Richards, co-owners of Rich Roots and sisters-in-law! Our business name comes from 1st- Rich in the name comes from Kate’s maiden name and Leigh’s married name and 2nd- Roots because we are family!

The idea was born from a wreath making class, put on by Jess of Pickletown Flower Co, where Jess mentioned that she was pivoting her business from Pickletown into a new floral coaching business, Fuse Floral. We were both looking for something new and Jess agreed to take us on as her first coaching clients.

Kate is creative behind all of the designs and Leigh is the entrepreneurial type so we are the perfect pairing. It was the right place, right time kind of thing!

Denver is eclectic and creative.  When we moved to the Denver area, the first question people asked us was “what do you Iike to do?”   This is drastically different than the question “what do you do?” or “who do you work for?” that we often heard back home, leading us to Rich Roots…”what do we like to do?” We like flowers and the power they have to bring people together.  People here have interesting backgrounds, stories, and hobbies and we get to tap into that through our various floral designs and clients we work with.

The Farmer’s Market scene in Denver feels like the heart of the city. It brings others from the neighborhood and even different states together. Everyone is there to share in the same experience, it’s such a lovely thing. We are always amazed at what we can find in common with anyone who pops by the tent.

We were both born and raised in the Chicagoland area but moved to Colorado during the pandemic. Kate and her family landed in Golden in 2020, and Leigh’s family moved to the Edgewater neighborhood 6-months later.

Leigh – when we first visited Colorado I fell in love with Sloan’s Lake. I loved the juxtaposition of the city and the mountain views from the lake. We knew when we moved we also wanted to be close to Kate’s family and the mountains so we narrowed in our neighborhood pretty quick. We love taking the dog and stroller for neighborhood walks that often end up at Edgewater Beer Garden!

Kate-I have been bringing my family to Colorado to visit extended family since 2016.  We found a sense of calm with the mountains, rural farms and slower pace of life.  In 2020, it was a “now or never” moment for us to hitch a trailer with our kids and make our way out west. After deciding it was right, we rented in a neighborhood where the kids could meet their school friends and we could figure out if Golden was the right fit for us. After 3 months of being in Colorado, we decided we were hooked. We then bought a house to continue growing our roots.

We always say the gray, cold days in Chicago drove us out. The sunshine and outdoor lifestyle in Colorado can’t be beat! But we both attribute our husbands as the catalyst for our moves. They had a vision for our lives here and we are happy we let them convince us!