When wanting to put together a gift basket of products from local businesses, Erin Betkas had trouble finding it all in one place. So, to solve the problem, she decided to become a one-stop-shop with her newly launched business Curated City Gifts.
“We are a gift box company featuring small, local, women-owned businesses,” she says.
The inspiration for the business came from Betkas’ love of gifting local, and when a friend recently had surgery she wanted to send her a gift box made up of small local businesses around where she lives. “She loves so shop locally, as do I,” she says. “There was no such option for me to do this other than to shop at each shop individually and make up the package myself.”
An idea was born and now Betkas gets to highlight local businesses through her own business. So far, she has tested two beta boxes – an option that comes with coffee beans and chocolate covered coffee beans and one with loose leaf tea and liquid dark chocolate.
“All of the boxes also include a candle, a Dayton mug, a letter-pressed greeting card, a hand-crafted bar of soap, and pretzels,” she adds.
Aside from the current Dayton box, Betkas says she will soon offer a box in Portland, Oregon, as she and her husband are moving there this summer. She says she plans to manage all cities from that location – so the Dayton box (as well as other cities) will still be available even after she leaves.
Betkas says that what makes Curated City Gifts unique is that it’s the only gift box company that features small, local, women-owned businesses. “It’s also the only gift box company that will have a nationwide brand that allows customers to shop by city,” according to Betkas.
As Betkas continues the start-up phase of her businesses, she plans to conduct more research, source products and packaging, and solidify the final details before she goes into a full-scale launch in the next few months.
You can learn more about Curated City Gifts on Facebook and Instagram, and be sure to keep an eye out on the website once it officially launches.
