We had the good fortune of connecting with Whitney Holofchak and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Whitney, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Bonnie + Bud was created in December 2014. At that time, my little ones were 1 ½ and 2 ½, and we had just celebrated Christmas. With children that age, I felt disheartened, as did many of my friends, that I did not have the time or resources to create thoughtful gifts for my loved ones for the holidays. Soon after Christmas, on December 28th, my Grandmother Marcum’s birthday, I had a dream that my husband and I owned a piece of land called Bonnie + Bud Farm. It had a garden and a pond, and it was lush and beautiful. I woke up that morning feeling inspired by my dream, and the idea behind Bonnie + Bud came together.

With my desire to create thoughtful gifts, I decided to start a gifting business named Bonnie + Bud, after my Grandmother Bonnie and our Uncle Bud. Grandmother Bonnie and Uncle Bud both spent a lot of their lives on farms and were thoughtful loving people. They lived by the credo that there is great beauty in simplicity and that giving to others is the truest form of Southern hospitality. My hope is that each Bonnie + Bud gift embodies the spirit of these two special people and continues their legacy.

While I had my idea and my name, I needed to start sourcing unique, handmade products for my gifts. Most of the first items selected were products that I have personally enjoyed giving to friends over the years and enjoyed myself. A lot of these were found at local markets. My family and I continue to enjoy visiting local farmers and craft markets to find new items to be included in our boxes.

What should our readers know about your business?
Bonnie + Bud has boxes for all occasions, including our With Gratitude, Welcome Little One, Home Sweet Home, Let’s Celebrate, For the Foodie, and Gentleman’s boxes. We also create custom gift boxes for weddings and corporate gifts. Clients have the ability when they order a gift box from Bonnie + Bud to tell us about the recipient, their likes and dislikes, sometimes their reasons to celebrate or maybe their current struggles. Gifters have the option to suggest certain Bonnie + Bud products that they would like to see in their gift. Each gift is very personal. We take lots of care and detail in creating our gift boxes and hand select items for the recipient.

When a Bonnie + Bud gift box is delivered, we want the recipient to feel special and we want the gift to feel like it was made just for them. For recipients in Charlotte, gift boxes are hand delivered to the door with fresh flowers or succulents. We also ship gift boxes anywhere in the U.S., and those may include a fresh flower bundle. We handwrite the gift message to add another personal touch.

Bonnie + Bud all started in my home, for my friends and family. I never dreamed the business would grow like it has. I am honored to be able to create and share through Bonnie + Bud. I also am fortunate to work with so many wonderful local partners and collaborators. We look forward to creating new boxes and continuing to share our family’s legacy.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a Shoutout to my Team, Rosalyn Cox and Katie Hallaway. I could not have my business without them. We are like a little family. I am also grateful to all of our awesome vendor that help make our gift boxes so beautiful!

Website: www.bonnieandbud.com

Instagram: bonnieandbud

Image Credits
Christina Hussey

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