A Conversation With ... Kelli Stanton

We primarily focus on corporate gifts. We will venture out into more personal lines, but right now, we cater mostly to business professionals and business owners. We target mostly people who are interested in gourmet foods (and) gift baskets. We do gift baskets and gift chests. We kind of run the gamut in terms of the types of gifts that we offer, and the price ranges. We focus a lot on employee appreciation, with new hire gifts and the employee birthday program. We also do a lot of things for banks and mortgage lenders housewarming gifts – things like that. We’re basing it out of our home for now. A storefront may be a possibility … however, we’re also focusing on developing the Web site, www.ivycottagegiftdesigns.net.

You purchased the business earlier this year. How did the deal come about?

My husband, Jeremy, and I closed (on the business purchase) May 31 (from former owner Brenda Obeidat). We had toyed with the idea of maybe one day having our own business, or maybe buying into a franchise or developing something from our own ideas. This concept presented itself, and we viewed it as an interesting endeavor. We are sort of a two-man show. He does a lot of the Web stuff – computer-oriented issues, and I mostly handle the designing aspect of it. It’s been a slower process than we would have liked only because we are involved in other projects of our own.

Why did you decide to buy a corporate gifts company?

We thought it was an interesting concept. In Springfield and the surrounding area, there is a market for corporate gifts, because there’s really not a whole lot of other people who do what we do. We target businesses simply because we don’t have a storefront yet or the mechanisms to (offer) individual items for people. We prefer more of a high-volume way in which to get the gifts out. I just enjoy the element of preparing something for somebody. The element of gift giving is just exciting. They’re always glad to see you. I used to deliver flowers when I was in college, and just the element of surprise and just being glad to receive something … there’s a sentimentality to it that’s really interesting.

Are companies beginning to do their holiday shopping?

Yes. A lot of them start now – or even earlier. It sort of depends on how many they’re getting gifts for, and the process by which they do it. I think probably a lot of small businesses will wait until a little closer (to the holidays). The further we know in advance, the further out we can plan inventory and get something lined up for them to get it ready for the holidays. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to show an employee that they’re valued with your company.

Do you stock a large inventory or go out and find unique items as they’re requested?

Well, kind of a little bit of both. We’ve tried to … streamline a little bit so we don’t have to keep so much inventory on hand. But we try to keep staple items. We offer a set of certain lines of coffee and tea, or gourmet chocolates, so we keep a higher quantity of that on hand. If someone wants a custom basket (with) a special request, we, by all means, will go out and get that.

What keeps you busy aside from Ivy Cottage?

My husband sells trauma (medical) products. He’s done orthopedic sales for more than five years, and that consumes most of his time. I actually have my degree in secondary education, and I taught high school for a few years at Willard. Then I returned to Missouri State (University) to complete a master’s degree in history. If all goes well, that will be completed in May 2008. I also work for Croley Insurance and do their marketing part time. I wear several hats throughout my week.

Interview by Features Editor Maria Hoover. You can e-mail her with suggestions for future installments of this feature at mhoover@sbj.net.