By Tiffany Merlo Phelps
mail@floridanewsline.com
Gavin Walker has always liked flamingos — something about them just looked cool to him as a child. As a teenager, Gavin saw a business opportunity. During the pandemic, he noticed a neighbor who decorated a friend’s yard with plastic flamingos to celebrate a birthday, a practice also known as “flocking.” Walker first checked with his neighbor who had done the flocking to make sure she approved of his business plan. She did, and she gave him 10 flamingos to get started. “Flocking Flamingos PVB” was born. “I thought, ‘Since no one can have birthdays, bring the birthday to them,’” said Gavin, 17. He now has 130 flamingos and has been setting up birthday, get well, and graduation flockings for three years. He has placed as many as 100 flamingos at one time. In addition, he has signs to accompany the flamingos that he can personalize with advance notice. Gavin’s sister, Sydney, 14, has joined the business so she can take over once Gavin, a rising senior at Ponte Vedra High, goes to college in a year. Gavin said it has been a family affair from the start as he places the flamingos the night before a special event with his father, Scott Walker, who is the Vice President of Information Technology at Dream Finders Homes. His mom, Jennifer Walker, Simple Beach Living and JW Organizers owner, manages the business calendar. Gavin, an Eagle Scout, also works at the Sawgrass Publix as a cashier. In all of his roles, Gavin said he enjoys interacting with people in the community the most.
Q: Who was your first customer and what has changed since your first flocking?
A: My first customer was a school friend, and I was so afraid that we would get caught. We always let someone in the house know, but I was still worried. We set up 35 flamingos which is still our standard set-up amount unless someone wants more. We are much more organized now. We have learned from every flocking and have built on that experience.
Q: What have you learned from this business?
A: It has made me learn the value of a dollar. If I want to make more money, then I need to book more flockings. It has increased my work ethic. There are times when I do not want to do it, and I just have to say to myself, “Tough. This is your business, and you booked it.”
Q: What was your service project to become an Eagle Scout?
A: I built six dog houses for Animal Care Protective Services of Jacksonville. I raised $1,100 to do so, and some supplies were donated by Lowe’s and Home Depot.
Q: You are also involved with “Letters to Legends” at Ponte Vedra High. Share more about this.
A: My friend Ahan Soni came up with the idea and the creation of this for NHS to have students write letters to senior citizens and then deliver the letters throughout the year for certain holidays. I was brought into the project close to the beginning, and we eventually turned it into a non-profit.
We collect and deliver letters to Vicar’s Landing, Cathedral Care, and Taylor Manor. We begin by providing donated cards for students to fill out in the courtyard at school. After we collect the cards, we attach a flower to each card and then deliver the cards to the assisted living facilities.
Q: What are your college plans?
A: I would like to attend the University of Florida and earn a degree in business. I think that I want to go into some aspect of computers. It has always been my thing because of my dad. In fact, my dad and I built my computer in my room.
Photo courtesy Jennifer Walker
Gavin Walker and his sister Sydney.
