Teen Entrepreneur Cultivates Unique Café Concept
Writer Shannon Severson
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingles with the delicate scent of blooming flowers in an innovative café experience crafted by 18-year-old Dylan Capshaw. Stemistry, his brainchild, is not just a coffee shop or a florist — it’s a “flower bar and coffee lab” where community, creativity and entrepreneurship bloom in tandem. Capshaw, a freshman at Arizona State University, may look like any other college student, but behind his youthful exterior lies a seasoned entrepreneur who’s been cultivating success since middle school.
Stemistry’s sleek, modern aesthetic, with its wood and brass accents, perfectly aligns with the sophisticated tastes of the Valley’s discerning residents. The concept has quickly taken root in the local business landscape, offering a fresh take on the traditional cafe experience.
“We’re a welcoming space,” Capshaw says with a wide smile, gesturing around the 1,300-square-foot shop where the gentle whir of the espresso machine provides a soothing backdrop. “We want you to come and hang out here, have a meeting and get work done or hang out; there’s no rush in here at all.”
Images Arizona caught up with Capshaw at his third — and newest — location, a shop integrated into a high-end apartment community with a view of Papago Park’s sculptured beauty. It’s just a short jaunt from Papago, the Phoenix Zoo or the Desert Botanical Garden. Here at Roadrunner Apartments, residents and visitors convene to co-work or catch up with friends, enlivening all five senses: the scent of coffee and fresh flowers, the taste of proprietary coffee drinks, teas and a menu of meals made on-site, music playing unobtrusively, tasteful decor and space to work, play a round of cornhole on the patio or construct a custom floral arrangement.
“I love coffee and I hate just driving through [to pick it up],” Capshaw explains. “I like an experience and that’s what we’ve created at Stemistry. We have real mugs or glasses [for dining in] and we focus on more craft and quality going into our drinks.”
The drinks range from traditional hot or cold coffeehouse favorites to specialties from the “Latte Lab” and “Bubble Lab.” Floral flavors figure prominently in several of the choices — a rose or lavender latte sprinkled with edible flower petals, for instance. In the bubbles category, guests can build their own energy drink or Italian soda enhanced with botanical flavors like prickly pear, pineapple or peach. The delicate aroma of these floral-infused beverages adds another layer to Stemistry’s multisensory experience. The drink menu also includes teas and protein drinks.
The high-quality, ethically sourced coffee served at Stemistry is their own private label, roasted locally by the renowned Patrick O’Malley’s Infusion Coffee and Tea Crafters. Capshaw has plans to travel to Colombia with the company in order to learn more about sourcing and sustainability.
No cup of coffee or tea is complete without a tasty treat alongside. Stemistry has expanded its food menu options, with the widest array available at the Roadrunner Apartments location, where an on-site kitchen produces light bites such as breakfast sandwiches, sandwiches, flatbreads and a variety of tempting pastries.
Capshaw says his interest in flowers has intensified over the years, and he regularly brings in professional florists to train his staff. He’s worked with the Arizona Flower Market from his earliest business days and says the team there has become like family to him.
“Being hands-on with flowers, I have developed an interest in their origins and different purposes — some aromatic, some medicinal,” Capshaw notes, his enthusiasm evident. “I wanted to develop a system where someone with no knowledge of flowers can come in and work with them hands-on. Our staff is here to help with that.”
At Stemistry, flowers are sold by the stem, so customers can visit the “build your own bouquet bar” to create their own arrangement. The team on hand is there to assist, if needed, and will give tips on wrapping and extending the life of the bouquet.
“We get a lot of dates happening here,” Capshaw reveals. “Or people coming in to create a special arrangement for their significant others since it’s more special to create yourself. We wrap it in our branded wrap so it looks really nice and that’s another part of the experience we offer.”
The shops regularly offer classes where guests compose a seasonal arrangement — a bouquet, cornucopia at Thanksgiving or wreath at Christmas. A coffee drink and food item are included, and cost is $50 to $70 per person.
For Valentine’s Day, Capshaw says he decorates for the holiday and offers a special date package with coffee, dark chocolate, rose petals and nonalcoholic champagne for two, along with a bud vase of three or four roses for a romantic touch. He’s even working on a liquor license — something that can be a challenge since he’s just 18 — but would add to what his customers are able to enjoy on-site.
If in-person bouquet assembly isn’t in the cards and delivery is needed, he has partnered with Uber for free local delivery from any Stemistry location, and there are premade bouquets available.
Capshaw’s entrepreneurial journey started early, rooted in a desire to make a difference. Even before Stemistry, he had founded two nonprofits — For the Frontline and Capshaw Wildlife. His efforts earned him recognition from Nickelodeon and Time magazine as a nominee and finalist in their first-ever Kid of the Year competition in 2020.
The business truly grew from a small seed when schools shut down during COVID-19. He says he began listing several types of products on Etsy, but flowers really took off. He had no standing inventory and bought only what he could sell with zero waste.
“It was crazy,” he recalls. “For two years, the flower truck would deliver pallets of flowers each day. I’d sit in the garage after school packing all the orders — that was my life. We shipped to all 50 states and seven different countries. I was able to use all that seed money to invest in Stemistry.”
The leap to brick-and-mortar happened in March 2022 near his North Scottsdale home, but it took a bit of convincing on Capshaw’s part to get his mother to co-sign as a guarantor. He was a high school sophomore at the time, had never had a job, and didn’t even have his driver’s license. Undeterred, he created a thorough PowerPoint presentation outlining logistics, plans, his accumulated savings, and a list of pros and cons.
“My mom is a dentist and runs her own business,” he explains. “She’s helped me a lot in terms of managing employees and has been really supportive. Finding a mentor in general is so important, and she has been that for me.”
His mother agreed to the plan, and Capshaw and his buddies did all the construction themselves in a former nail salon storefront, ordering needed items off Amazon since he couldn’t yet drive. He says the concept’s success was almost immediate, drawing customers to the unusual combination of coffee and flowers. He’d work early mornings, head off to high school classes and return to the shop right after school. He admits he probably had more absences than is standard, but says his teachers were supportive of his entrepreneurial spirit, and several of them still stay in touch, proud to see what he’s doing at such a young age, balancing the life of a college student with that of a business owner.
His youth was great for initial publicity but turned out to be a challenge in the hiring department. Capshaw says it was “almost impossible.” Potential employees were hesitant to work for a 16-year-old, but he did get some takers, including his very first employee — a college student who still works for Stemistry.
“Hiring can still be a struggle, but I have more credibility now,” he says with a smile.
That credibility has come with a lot of important lessons and hard-earned success. Each of his locations has involved a different buildout process. First, the nail salon conversion, then his downtown location in Heritage Square, frequented by many of his fellow ASU students opened in a former barn that dates to 1899.
“We try to incorporate the history at that location,” Capshaw says. “We have drinks named after the original landowners there. I had to work with the city on that location because it’s a historic site. Everything took layers and layers of approval, so it was a lot harder, but I learned to work with red tape, and it has helped me.”
Here at Roadrunner Apartments, he started with an empty box without even electricity. He worked with the owner and had help from business attorneys, but an important partnership grew with the building’s developer. He says it gave him the chance to bring his vision to life.
“I could build exactly how I wanted to,” he says. “We were really able to bring in all our branding, our signature black and gold colors, and we got to make it fun — to really decorate the space how we wanted. This is our first shop that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. That makes us a one-stop shop presence. We have regulars that we love here; we know the residents, their families, jobs and commitments. Each of our stores has a different community, and they all have regulars who are loyal to us day after day and year after year.”
The incorporation of Stemistry into a residential building has proved extremely popular with the real estate developer and could be a model for future Stemistry locations down the road.
For now, Capshaw says he’s intent on developing opportunities for connection and enjoyment at his current stores, including an upcoming flower subscription service. He’s also working on a degree in entrepreneurship and participating in his fraternity at ASU. He says he’s learned a lot about time management and hard work.
“I haven’t taken a profit [from the business],” he reveals. “If you get in business for the right reasons, you’ll eventually be successful. Being adaptive is really important, as is having a support system. Without supportive parents, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything.”
As Stemistry continues to flourish, it’s clear that Dylan Capshaw has planted more than just a business — he’s cultivated a unique experience that resonates with a diverse range of Valley residents, from college students to professionals. In this innovative space where coffee meets floristry, Capshaw is not just serving drinks and arranging flowers; he’s nurturing a new kind of gathering place that’s as fresh and vibrant as the bouquets on display.
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