The happy little gift that started it all. Sunrise Gratitude.
Late last year, while my little was in school, I made my way over to Bees Nees for their Maison Marche Open House.
I pulled an orange floral dress from my closet, put on mascara and lipstick, and decided it was time to put myself out there again. I say this from a place of gratitude - for years, I was all consumed by motherhood. On that warm October day, I was going to socialize, for a few minutes, before pick up.
Just a month earlier, I’d taken the leap of faith to form an LLC and start a custom gifting business. I had big dreams, and a little time to apply myself, so I made a list and got to work. The reality of selling gifts seemed like a goal for the medium term but that was ok.
I walked into The Libby that day and recognized a few familiar faces - a neighbor of a friend and Anne Marie Nash Burroughs, someone I’d always admired, and knew through mutual friends. It was a lovely reminder that I was home in Virginia Beach.
If you haven’t had the privilege of meeting Katie Denton, trust me when I tell you she is the epitome of hospitality, and has a way of making you feel like the most important person in the room. That day, she introduced herself, welcomed me to The Pink Houses, gave me a tour of her property, and introduced me to her team of bright, kind women.
When she asked me about my work, I shared that I’d just started a small business, and showed her a picture of a gift box, Sunrise Gratitude, that I’d recently mocked up.
Katie was so kind to say that she’d like to be in touch about her welcome gifts; so we exchanged information and bid farewell.
Katie proceeded to follow up with me and engage my services for holiday gifting, as well as welcome gifts for The Pink House. Her support propelled me into selling well before I thought I was ready, and there are still not enough words to express my gratitude for her friendship.
While Sunrise Gratitude will continue to be available, I’m actually retiring this open top wooden box in favor of new gift boxes. This set represents the beginning of my Banks & Beach journey, and I’m so grateful for the friends I’ve made, and the growth I’ve experienced along the way.