It’s Been a Long Time Coming.
Building Bow and Bestow has been a dream of mine for years - even if subconsciously. Thinking about gifts, creating thoughtful gift baskets, and wrapping gifts is something I have always done ‘just for fun.’ I have an extreme endorphin rush when browsing the internet for unique gift ideas, perusing the wrapping paper aisle in stores, and watching YouTube videos of bow-making tutorials. (Everyone watches bow-making tutorials in their free-time, right?) Giving gifts to friends and family gives me feelings of exhilaration, and I’ve been known to start planning my Holiday gift lists well before Labor Day. Put simply - giving gifts brings me joy.
I have such sharp memories of being in grade school and looking forward participating in “Santa’s Secret Shop.” This program was similar to a Book Fair: In early December, a company would wheel-in displays of Holiday gift items to our tiny school library, and students would be given time to browse and shop for Christmas presents for friends and family. My dad would send me to school with an envelope containing ten dollars in cold hard cash, and I would painstakingly make gift selections from the Shop inventory. There were so many dazzling choices and I would inevitably be one of the last students left to make my final shopping purchases. A sparkly bracelet for my sister, a mini keychain tool kit for my Dad, a Grow-Your-Own flower bulb kit for my stepmom... My purchased gifts would be “wrapped” in the standard blue-and-white-patterned paper gift bags provided by the traveling shop, and I would carefully write each recipient’s name of the front in my best cursive. This shopping experience - and bestowing these surprise gifts to my family - was a true highlight of my Christmas.
Six-year-old Me… rocking a bowl cut. At this age, one of the highlights of Christmas was shopping for gifts at “Santa’s Secret Shop.”
Similarly, from a very young age I was taught and embraced the idea of giving and receiving Gift Experiences in lieu of someTHING wrapped in a box. My Dad had a knack for coming up with fun birthday party experiences for my siblings and me when we were in grade school. Instead of hosting a traditional party with cake and games at our home, my Dad would plan an experience that would be memorable and unique for everyone. My 10th birthday party was an outing to the nail salon with a couple of my close friends where I would receive my first manicure. My older sister celebrated one of her late December birthdays with friends at a local theatre performance of ‘The Nutcracker.’ We became accustomed to these non-traditional birthday party experiences and grew a strong appreciation for the gift of memory-making and shared experiences with loved ones.
One of my most vivid birthday Gifted Experiences took place on my 7th birthday, shortly after my Mom had passed away from cancer. My Dad had arranged for my birthday party to take place at an outdoor concert by Judy Collins at The Biltmore Estate. My friends and I hadn’t the slightest idea who Judy Collins was, and we were oblivious to the fact that she was a Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter. We did know that we felt so elated and “grown up” to be in a beautiful setting, sprawled out on picnic blankets, wearing our Sunday best and eating birthday cake in a crowd of hundreds of people. I was unaware that my Dad had sent one of my party invitations to Judy Collins’ management team, and at one point during the middle of the concert, we all heard Judy announce over the microphone: “Is there a girl named Courtney in the audience celebrating her birthday today?” After a moment of shock, followed by squeals of delight from my friends, I mustered the courage to stand up and make myself known in front of the crowd. There were cheers and a round of applause, followed by Judy Collins leading the audience in a soaring rendition of "‘Happy Birthday’ that I will never forget.
A stranger took this picture of the moment I stood up to be acknowledged at my 7th Birthday Party at a Judy Collins concert.
This is all to say that I have a deep and enduring passion for giving thoughtful gifts, and I recognize that there is sentimental value in both gifts that come wrapped with a bow and gifts that are experienced and never forgotten. Creating Bow and Bestow is allowing me the opportunity to share this passion with others, and to offer my own knack for coming up with unique gift ideas AND gift experiences for my clients.
Confucius said: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I don’t know if that’s true, because bringing Bow and Bestow to life has taken a tremendous amount of work and determination, and offering Gift Concierge Services certainly takes a great amount of effort and labor. But I do know that this is a job I love and thoroughly enjoy, and one that I am grateful to be able to share with you.