Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Loftus.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Allison. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The idea for VelvetCrate was born over Thanksgiving dinner in 2013. I was chatting with my sister Amy about my idea to open a gift shop in Dallas. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved shopping at boutique gift shops. I love selecting and gifting small items that are meaningful, beautiful, and something that the recepient wouldn’t typically buy for themselves.
Amy, a driven and successful entrepreneur herself, helped refine my idea while we discussed my biggest hurdle in opening a brick-and-mortar store: my impending move from Dallas to New York City. With Amy’s successful business acumine, and my online savvy, the concept for VelvetCrate was fully-created allowing VelvetCrate to operate essentially anywhere (with the exception of our warehouse). At the time of our launch, the subscription gift model was really taking off. While we personally enjoyed subscription box servies, we knew e wanted to do something that was less of a suprise, and more of a gift with an intentional purpose.
VelvetCrate is an online gift store that focuses on upscale curated, custom, and corporate gift packages. Since launching in early 2014, we have shipped thousands of gift packages all over the United States. VelvetCrate first launched in Dallas and Kansas City where we both live. I had a quick stint in New York for a few years, but I’m happy to be back in Dallas, where VelvetCrate first started. We currently run both operations and marketing from Dallas.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’ve experienced a few hurdles throughout the past four and a half years, but nothing we haven’t been able to overcome. Initially, we thought our gift packages would be heavily marketed to men.
After our first month when we realized that 95% of our business was coming from women giving to other women, so we shifted that marketing strategy. We didn’t want to ignore the male segment of the market that we previously wanted to reach, so we partner with local florists for major holidays like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
Since 2013, I have moved from Dallas to New York and back, and I’ve had two babies along the way. I’m a proud mother of two girls under two, which is a full-time job in itself. It’s challenging at times to manage my time because as the girls hit different milestones, just when I think I’ve found a good rhythm and routine, it all changes. Fortunately, my husband is very supportive and I’m able to just barely get all of my work done in a given day.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about VelvetCrate – what should we know?
From curated ready-to-send gift packages to custom gifts fit to your needs to corporate gifting and branding, we are truly able to help gifters give and send the perfect gift package to anyone for any occasion. Our three signature curated collections – Celebrate, Just Because, and Love – are delivered with a custom card that can be personalized with your message. Shipping is free, fast, and you can select your desired delivery date.
For those who want to personally select gifts that go in their gift package, they can do so through our Create-A-Crate feature. We keep a small inventory of gifts on our site so it’s not overwhelming. Gifts change out every month based on the current season and trends and everything is made to mix-and-match, ranging from $10-30 per item. Typically 3-4 gifts make and fit into a VelvetCrate.
Our corporate and custom gifting program allows for a perfect package to be created to fit the exact specifications of the client’s needs. We can help with a theme, soure a special gift, incorporate swag, and brand everything about the gift from start to finish for maximum impact.
Pricing:
- Most gift packages range between $50-90
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.velvetcrate.com
- Phone: 214-726-5154
- Email: info@velvetcrate.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/velvetcrate
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/velvetcrate
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/velvetcrate
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