Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendall Lawrence.
Hi Kendall, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My whole life, I dreamed of opening a shop. I imagined it again and again — searching for the perfect name, the perfect idea, the perfect place. I told myself I’d begin once everything felt certain, once it all lined up just right.
But one day, out of the clear blue sky, something shifted. I realized maybe perfection was never the point. Maybe the waiting was just fear. Maybe the dream didn’t need to be perfect — it just needed me to be brave enough to start.
DORSEA began with more heart than answers and a maxed out credit card. With a vision that wasn’t fully formed, but felt really true. It was built slowly, imperfectly, and with so much care — learning day by day, trusting the process, and letting the story unfold one small step at a time.
Looking back now, I see that those imperfect beginnings were the most beautiful part. They’re what shaped this place into what it is today — warm, honest, and rooted in connection.
So if there’s anything I’ve learned along the way, it’s this: sometimes, perfectly imperfect is exactly enough. And sometimes, that’s how the most beautiful things begin.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
NO! ***with a lot of emphasis on the word NO!
I’ve spent my late twenties and early thirties building a career the hard way—barefoot in the snow, uphill both ways. I am the owner and operator of DORSEA— a retail shop and coastal brand.
When I was little, I remember sitting at our kitchen table while my dad told stories about walking to school barefoot in the snow, uphill both ways. I’d roll my eyes. Thirty something years later I finally get it. It was never really about the snow or the hills. It was about the kind of work that feels endless in the moment. The way some seasons feel like they are straight inclines. What I know now is that those uphill both ways seasons are the ones that shape you.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I own DORSEA, a little shop in Downtown Morehead City filled with garments, gifts, goods and, as we like to say, “pretty things inside.” I opened the doors in 2023 —I really just knew I loved beautiful things, loved people, and wanted to create a place that felt special the minute you walked through the door.
Today, DORSEA is best known for our clothing, our coastal-inspired pieces and, of course, the dresses flying outside the shop. But I think what we really specialize in is creating a feeling. I want someone to walk in and find something they didn’t know they needed, have a conversation, laugh with us, leave with a beautifully wrapped package and feel a little happier than when they came in. I’ve always believed the smallest details matter.
What I’m most proud of is that DORSEA has grown without losing that. As the business has gotten busier and our reach has grown, it still feels personal. I still choose things and create things because I love them. We still wrap every package with care. We know our customers, their children, their mothers, what they bought last summer and sometimes what they’re cooking for dinner.
I’ve never wanted DORSEA to feel overly polished or like it was trying too hard to be something. There are so many beautiful stores in the world, but there’s only one DORSEA—and I’m really proud that people seem to feel that when they walk through the door.
At the end of the day, I’m most proud that what started as a little leap of faith has become a place people make a point to come back to. The sales and growth are wonderful, of course, but the relationships are the part I never could have put into a business plan. That’s the good stuff.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My dream shop and the customers who walk through its doors every day. The DORSEA girls who started as employees and have become family. The world’s best husband. The greatest shop dog. Boat rides & bike rides. A really good day at the shop. The occasional hot dog.
I think I’m happiest in the little, everyday moments—the ones I always dreamed about. I get to go to work in a place I love, surrounded by people I love, and come home to a life I’m incredibly grateful for. It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to call this little life mine.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Shopdorsea.com
- Instagram: @shopdorsea
