The Gift Studio

Local entrepreneurs, Carrie Schepke and Patti Sload, would love to help you manage your holiday gift shopping. They founded The Gift Studio, an online gift service specializing in thoughtful, modern gifts for holidays, everyday celebrations, corporate, events (virtual and live) and weddings. Over the past several years their service has grown as happy customers rave about their collections and their ability to make each gift a special experience. We were lucky to catch up with Carrie and Patti just as the busy holiday season begins.

Gift selections from The Gift Studio

What is your background and how did you decide to start your business?

We both come from business backgrounds. Carrie’s experience is rooted in traditional marketing, advertising and customer loyalty and Patti’s in operations and management. The blend of the two has served us well. We both value impeccable customer service and feel that a returning customer is the best compliment you can receive. We’ve learned so much along the way and have truly enjoyed all the beauty and challenges that come from running a small, online business.

The Gift Studio has grown quickly in recent years. What’s your formula for success?

Showing up every day and trying our best! Taking impeccable care of our customers is our primary focus. We value and love the relationships we have with our loyal base. We have grown organically and feel that feedback and sharing has allowed us to deliver and better anticipate their needs. One of our favorite aspects of the business is receiving a customer testimonial that is genuine and heartfelt.

We believe each gift tells a story. We’ve seen them connect people, make memories and transform relationships. It’s what drives us each day to create timeless gifts for modern giving.

– The Gift Studio

Gift selections from The Gift Studio

So many of us find holiday gift-giving stressful. What advice do you have for finding the perfect gift?

Our goal is to make gifting simple and easy. We work tirelessly to take the stress away from the customer. Our online shop features ready-to-ship gifts ranging from self-care, housewarming, celebrations, work from home, new baby and more. You simply select your gift, enter your personal message for the complimentary hand written note and we take care of the rest. If you don’t see exactly what you need, we’re happy to customize something unique for the occasion. Simply reach out to us, we learn a little about what you’re thinking and from there, we curate a custom gift to fit your needs. For corporate clients, we offer an array of solutions that help them celebrate various moments, drive customer retention or celebrate customer loyalty. We offer easy, yet beautiful ways to include branding and marketing messages. All budgets are welcome and we’re happy to accommodate any quantity ranging from one to hundreds.

Here’s some advice to help the process: Take some time and build your list of your friends, family and colleagues you would like to gift this season. From there, organize your list based on the type of experience you would like to send. Thoughtfulness comes in many shapes and sizes.

Sometimes we work with clients on developing the most beautifully hand written note and include a small token like a gorgeous candle. Other times we build an experience for the entire family to share – game night, remembering the older sibling with the arrival of a new baby, mindfulness activities for someone going through a milestone change. That initial thinking and conversation truly helps set the parameters and works as the guidepost for creation. We have found the greatest success using this approach.

What are your favorite products in the current collection?

From the beginning, we have always made a promise to each other that we would only carry products that we truly loved. We have a passion for impeccable design, high-quality products and an amazing company story. We love supporting so many small businesses throughout the US. There is so much talent out there – this is the easiest part and we enjoy meeting so many people in the process. It brings a lot of joy to the process and in these recent times, it’s even more important to support local and small. We truly believe that each gift is an experience – it tells a story. We enjoy working with customers to help them connect with people, create memories and deepen their relationships. When curating a gift, we not only want it to be visually appealing and modern, but thoughtful and personal. We have a passion for high-quality, beautiful products that are made with our same values in mind. One of our favorite aspects of this business is meeting so many other thoughtful, small-batch makers. Many of them small business owners and many of them women owned.

Our passion for the highest quality products, love of fine details and authentic approach has garnered us loyal customers and high profile devotees. But really, we’re most proud of the feeling you’ll have when someone receives their gift. Their genuine delight is the result of our intentional approach: create exceptional gifts for you, offered with simplicity and ease.

How do you both plan to enjoy the holidays in this unique year?

We have a lot of fun in our everyday. We try not to take ourselves too seriously and enjoy the process. Building a small business is challenging – you truly are tackling everything involved, but doing it together has made it more enjoyable. November and December is our ‘go-time’ and we adore the hustle and bustle. We’re very lucky – we have extremely supportive families and can easily call on them when we need an extra set of hands. Together, we get a lot of enjoyment from helping our customers spread joy and cheer. Come the new year, we can kick our feet up and relax a bit.

This holiday season is unique – people have been interacting remotely for months so helping them make meaningful connections is even more paramount. Our holiday collection includes more ‘experience-based’ gifts this season – ranging from fun game nights for families, at-home spa treatments for the ladies, ways to spruce up your work from home game, to virtual celebrations for family, friends and businesses. It all goes back to making a connection. Above all, we believe gifting connects people, creates memories and deepens relationships. It feels amazing to give and wonderful to receive.