Why Small Businesses Matter
Shop small, do big things for your community
Why Small Businesses Matter puts a spotlight on the local merchants who donate their time, talent, goods, and services for the betterment of our community. The shop local movement spreads virally as local businesses who are “tagged” have the opportunity to share their story!
You're IT Lavender + Pine Gifting!
Three questions with Alexandra Puccini, founder of Lavender + Pine Gifting.
Why did you start your business?
Growing up in the '90s allowed me to explore my creativity and imagination in the form of Easy Bake Oven cakes, countless art classes, Scholastic book fairs, and being very meticulous regarding what I chose for my family at the in-school gift shop with my $10. I didn't know it then, but that is all when my love of creating, and gifting started.
From soap balls for mom on Mother's Day to coffee mugs that say "#1 Dad" on them, gifting, to me, has always been about the act of giving, intentionality, and lasting impressions. After all, gifting is a love language!
Over the years, I realized that there were two main problems people were facing when it came to gifting:
1. People who don’t know what to gift
2. People who don’t have the time to gift
Both usually result in impulse purchases that are lacking intention and practicality leading to waste both financially and from a product standpoint. No matter the occasion, my gifting has always been based on the recipient's likes, avoiding purchasing wasteful products, and creating a sensory experience from the moment they see the beautiful gift, smell the lavender or florals, read the card and unbox each intentional item.
In 2018, after attending multiple baby showers, engagement parties, and bridal showers back-to-back my gifting skills started to become requested by friends and family. The inquiries then progressed into more consistent orders! It was then that Lavender + Pine became a side hustle and in 2 short years, blossomed into a full-time gifting service shipping gifts worldwide.
What is your best-selling product/service?
Our custom gifting services are our most utilized by far! Businesses and corporations, no matter the size, typically don’t have a designated gifting department so when the time comes to send out gifts for clients, employees, or conferences, the task falls onto the laps of Marketing, HR, Admins, and Interns.
Since gifting isn’t their area of expertise (not to mention that they have their full-time job to prioritize) the project can get incredibly overwhelming, and time-consuming, and often miss the mark on whatever goal they are looking to achieve.
How many local businesses do you use to support your business (products and services) and can you name them?
The beauty of working in gift curation is the ability to support countless small businesses Nationwide and introduce their products to our customers and clients. We work with several Connecticut businesses in our regular shop gifts as well as our custom gift designs! We also use several service providers for our own business needs! Below are a few of our favorites we love to work with.
Tulaoo Stationery Designer in Litchfield County
* Nob Hill Jane: Calligraphy Studio in Cheshire, CT
* Minuteman Press for printing needs: Norwalk, CT
* Optamark for our branded corporate swag: Norwalk, CT
* Teroforma: for glassware and products in our client gifts: Norwalk, CT
* Bridgewater Chocolates: for chocolates in our custom gifts: Danbury and Westport, CT
* Socially Savvy Studio: Jessica is our website designer and social media marketing expert in Branford, CT
A great deal of Connecticut businesses also utilizes our custom gifting services from Wedding and Event Planners, Photographers, DJs, and Florists!
Visit Lavender + Pine Gifting online here, and make sure to check out their Facebook and Instagram pages as well!
HamletHub thanks Fairfield County Bank for making our Why Small Businesses Matter series possible!